Engineering Apprenticeships (West Midlands)

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people (a) entered into and (b) completed engineering apprenticeships in the West Midlands region in each year since 1997.

Ivan Lewis: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). Mark Haysom, the Council's Chief Executive, has written to the hon. Gentleman with the information requested and a copy of his reply has been placed in the Library.
	Letter from Mark Haysom to Mr. Peter Luff, dated 18 March 2005
	I am writing in response to your parliamentary question, relating to engineering apprenticeships in the West Midlands region.
	I enclose a table setting out the number of starts and achievements on engineering apprenticeships in the region from 1997–98 to 2003/04. Note that information for the period before the creation of the LSC has been provided by DfES, and may not be completely consistent with more recent figures.
	If you have any queries, please contact Stephen Lilley, Regional Skills Director for the West Midlands, on 0121 345 4644.
	
		Engineering apprenticeship starts in the West Midlands region 1997–98 to 2003–04. Pre-LSC figures measured in terms of financial years (April to March)
		
			  Starts 
			  Advanced apprenticeships Apprenticeships at level 2 
		
		
			 1997–98 1,000 n/a 
			 1998–99 900 500 
			 1999–2000 800 600 
			 2000–01 700 500 
		
	
	
		LSC—figures measured in terms of academic years (August to July)
		
			  Starts Framework achievements 
			  Advanced apprenticeships Apprenticeships at level 2 Advanced apprenticeships Apprenticeships at level 2 
		
		
			 April to July 2001 28 271 13 26 
			 2001/02 249 1,224 169 197 
			 2002/03 250 1,228 121 116 
			 2003/04 244 1,247 106 279 
		
	
	
		
			  NVQ only achievements Total leavers 
			  Advanced apprenticeships Apprenticeships at level 2 Advanced apprenticeships Apprenticeships at level 2 
		
		
			 April to July 2001 25 12 134 193 
			 2001/02 84 120 532 888 
			 2002/03 61 164 320 722 
			 2003/04 71 109 276 968 
		
	
	Notes on methodology:
	1. Learner numbers pre-2001 are taken by DfES from TEC management information. TEC Ml is aggregagated data and does not contain information on sector. Individual learner data held on the trainee database contains information on sector, but we know the database did not accurately record the total number of learners. For each year, the percentage of learners studying engineering apprenticeships in the West Midlands from the trainee database has been applied to the total number of learners in the West Midlands from the TEC Ml to estimate the volume of learners studying engineering apprenticeships in the West Midlands. The number of achievements was not collected prior to 2001.
	2. Learner numbers and achievements from 2001 onwards are taken from the individualised learned record (ILR) collected by the LSC. Figures include all apprenticeships in the engineering area of learning.
	3. Definitions of 'engineering' pre- and post-2001 may not be directly comparable.

Parliamentary Questions

Llew Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether his Department has issued guidance to Government Departments on responding to parliamentary questions recommending that in cases where an answer would incur a disproportionate cost, efforts should be made when appropriate to provide an answer to part or parts of the question.

David Miliband: The Cabinet Office's "Guidance to Officials on Drafting Answers to Parliamentary Questions", copies of which are available in the Library, advises officials that
	"where information is being refused on the grounds of disproportionate cost, there should be a presumption that any of the requested information which is readily available should be provided".

Fallen Stock

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what records she has kept of trends in the costs of (a) incineration and (b) rendering of fallen stock in each year since 1999; and if she will make a statement on the cost of disposal of (i) beef, (ii) sheep and (iii) horse carcasses.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 24 March 2005
	The Department does not keep records of trends in costs of incineration and rendering of fallen stock. This is a commercial matter for the fallen stock disposal industry. The Government contribution to the National Fallen Stock Scheme has assisted farmers, but not horse owners, who have joined the Scheme with the costs of collection and disposal of fallen stock since November 2004.

Farm Subsidies

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average compensation payments paid in each region of England and Wales were in each month from February to October 2001 for (a) sheep and (b) cattle.

Alun Michael: The question does not specify which scheme of compensation payments is referred to, but I assume that this request refers to foot and mouth compensation payments.
	I have placed in the Library a table that shows the average amount of compensation for both sheep and cattle for each region within both England and Wales. The table only includes those months where compensation was paid, and the amounts shown are rounded to the nearest pound.
	I am providing the information on a county basis since that is how figures have been recorded and it would be difficult to produce regional averages without considerable work to aggregate the base information.

Farmers (Shrewsbury and Atcham)

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many farmers there were in Shrewsbury and Atcham in each year since 1997.

Alun Michael: The following figures show the number of farmers, partners, directors and spouses on holdings in the Shrewsbury and Atcham local authority area.
	
		
			  Number of farmers, partners, directors and spouses (full and part time) working on the holding Number of holdings with farmers, partners, directors and spouses 
		
		
			 1997 1,275 702 
			 1998 1,281 689 
			 1999 1,267 691 
			 2000 1,380 790 
			 2001 1,466 818 
			 2002 1,388 837 
			 2003 1,343 785 
			 2004 1,378 776 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures prior to 2000 show main holdings only. From 2000 minor holdings are included. A holding is defined as a minor if it meets all of the following conditions:
	the total area is less than 6 hectares
	the labour requirement is estimated to be less than 100 standard person-days
	there is no regular full-time farmer or worker
	the glasshouse area is less than 100 sq m
	the occupier does not farm another holding.
	2. Due to the introduction of new questions in 1998 figures prior to this year are not directly comparable with earlier years' results.
	3. Due to a register improvement exercise in 2001 labour figures prior to this are not directly comparable with later results.
	Source:
	June Agricultural Census

Foot and Mouth

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many previously paid invoices for (a) direct compensation and (b) associated activities connected with the 2001 outbreak of foot and mouth disease are being re-investigated.

Ben Bradshaw: I refer the hon. Member to pages 6, 35, 36 and 37 of the National Audit Office Report "Foot and Mouth Disease: Applying the Lessons—Report by the Comptroller and Auditor General HC184 Session 2004–2005 2 February 2005".

Foot and Mouth

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many ongoing claims and invoices for work connected with the 2001 foot and mouth disease outbreak have not been settled by her Department.

Ben Bradshaw: I refer the hon. Member to pages 36 and 37 of the National Audit Office Report "Foot and Mouth Disease: Applying the Lessons—Report by the Comptroller and Auditor General HC184 Session 2004–2005 2 February 2005".

Counter-terrorism

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what input the Government will have to the European Council's contribution to (a) the G8 summit's discussions on counter-terrorism and (b) the G8's core principles on counter-terrorism; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: The Chair of the European Council usually attends G8 Summits. As the UK assumes the presidency of the EU from 1 July, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister will also represent the European Council at the G8 Summit. We do not envisage formal co-ordination in the Council on the issue of counter-terrorism in the G8, ahead of the Summit. However, the UK, as G8 presidency, maintains a dialogue on G8 counter-terrorism work with EU partners.

European Funding

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list projects for which the Department has provided joint funding with the European Commission and other institutions of the European Union during the past five financial years; and what funding is planned for such projects in this financial year.

Denis MacShane: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has worked together with various European institutions on a number of projects in the last five years.
	In October 2003, the FCO and European Commission jointly organised the "Europe United" football tournament as part of the plans to celebrate EU enlargement. In early 2004 the FCO produced with Commission support booklets explaining the benefits of EU enlargement that were sent to the nine English regions and the devolved administrations. On 24 April 2004, there was 'Europe Day—Meet the Neighbours'—a jointly organised FCO-Commission project which celebrated EU enlargement.
	The European Parliament funded jointly with the FCO a number of Wilton Park conferences: The European Union's Strategic Priorities (14–16 September 2000); Reforming the Governance of the European Union: Towards an ever closer EU? (22–24 October 2001); How Can Parliamentarians Best Re-Engage the Public? (9–12 June 2003); The Future of Europe: What kind of Institutional and Security arrangements do we want (September 2002). In addition, the European Parliament hired an Exhibition Space at the Europe Day.
	The FCO and EU institutions also jointly fund a number of development projects aimed to assist accession states prior to their joining the European Union, under the 'Action Plans' scheme, which started in 1999 and the Global Opportunities Fund which started in 2003. The Global Opportunity Fund also has a broader focus beyond Europe. I will write to my hon. Friend with further details of joint funded projects under the Actions Plans the Global Opportunities Fund.
	No jointly-funded projects are currently planned for this year, with the exception of the Action Plan and Global Opportunity Fund programmes.

Pakistan

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the request by the chairman of Pakistan's Atomic Energy Commission to the nuclear security conference in London that the nuclear suppliers group lift controls on the export of dual-use nuclear technology to Pakistan.

Denis MacShane: Countering the proliferation of nuclear weapons technology is a key priority of the Government.
	Given that Pakistan remains outside the Non Proliferation Treaty, and has placed very few nuclear facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards, it is difficult for suppliers to be confident that transfers of dual-use nuclear technology will not contribute to a nuclear explosive activity. Any lifting of these controls would require amending the Nuclear Suppliers Group Guidelines, which would need the unanimous agreement of all 44 Participating Governments.
	The UK's position on the export of Nuclear Dual Use items remains as set out by my hon. Friend the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mr. Bradshaw) in reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Edmonton (Mr. Love) on 15 March 2002, Official Report, columns 1298–1300W. It states, inter alia, that:
	"We will continue to deny all export licence applications (ELAs) for items listed on the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) Dual use list to nuclear and nuclear related end users in India and Pakistan".

United Nations (Reforms)

Parmjit Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the UN Secretary-General about reforms of the UN.

Bill Rammell: My right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary have had regular discussions with the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on his plans to reform the UN.
	The Secretary-General, Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary and I were present at an event in February at Banqueting House launching a UK public debate on UN reform, at which the challenges facing the UN and the international community were addressed.
	We have warmly welcomed the publication of the Secretary-General's report issued on 21 March "In Larger Freedom" and support the strong lead Kofi Annan is providing. The report is an important landmark on the way to the Millennium Review Summit in September, which will shape the UN's agenda for years to come. The UK intends to play an active role in the summit and its preparation, as a committed supporter of the UN and holder of the G8 and EU presidencies at the time.

"Choosing Health"

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which elements of the extra funding made available to implement the public health White Paper, "Choosing Health", will be ring-fenced.

Melanie Johnson: Over £1 billion of additional funding is available to meet the "Choosing Health" commitments over the next three years. Around half of this funding has been allocated to primary care trusts in their general allocations for 2006–07 and 2007–08. None of this funding is ring-fenced. The remainder is being held centrally to fund national action, such as public health campaigns, or will be allocated for specific local action at a future date.

Blind Diabetic Patients

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to make talking diabetic monitoring machines available for blind or partially sighted diabetic patients in England.

Rosie Winterton: There are currently no "talking" or audible blood glucose meters marketed in the United Kingdom. No blood testing meters of any kind are currently available on general practitioner prescription, although blood testing strips are.
	In the past, "talking" blood glucose meters were marketed, but were withdrawn for commercial reasons outside the Department's control. The Department cannot influence which products are marketed in this country, or the price that manufacturers charge. We have received no application from any company to have audible blood glucose testing equipment made available.

Dentistry (Burnley)

Peter Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were registered for NHS dental services in Burnley in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The information is not available in the format requested. However, the figures for registrations for national health service dental services in the Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale primary care trust (PCT) area since September 1997 are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Number of people registered 
		
		
			 1997 142,493 
			 1998 127,786 
			 1999 126,366 
			 2000 122,466 
			 2001 96,813 
			 2002 94,073 
			 2003 96,361 
			 2004 97,181 
		
	
	The drop in registrations between 1997 and 2004 is mostly attributable to the reduction in the re-registration period for patients from two years to 15 months. The figures also exclude patients treated in dental access centres (DACs) who are not registered. In 2004, there were some 375,000 episodes of treatment in the 48 DACs then in operation in England.
	During 2004, there was a large switch to personal dental services (PDS) in the PCT area. For patient registrations (or for where registration does not apply, patients seen in the past 15 months), the PDS number rose from 1,900 at the end of December 2003 to 47,200 at the end of December 2004.
	The Government remain determined to improve access to NHS dentistry and has introduced a number of initiatives which will help bring about improvements nationally and more locally. PCT funding for dentistry will increase by 19.3 per cent., from 2003–04 to 2005–06. Consequently, over £250 million of additional resources will be provided by 2005–06.
	A NHS support team has been created to work with those PCTs which are experiencing most difficulty in terms of access. PCTs across East Lancashire, including Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale are benefiting from the efforts of the support team. The Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale PCT has so far received £540,000 recurrently from the support team. £28,000 has also been provided to the PCT as part of the dental access moneys provided to the Cumbria and Lancashire strategic health authority (SHA).
	The PCT has facilitated some dental access sessions as part of the work of the four PDS schemes in the area. The PCT also has robust plans in place, which will also help to improve access levels over the next three years resulting in an additional 32,000 places for patients on dental lists.
	Although the PCT has so far not recruited any international dentists, it is participating in the SHA-wide scheme which is working towards boosting recruitment from this source.

Fluoridation

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which strategic health authorities have expressed an interest in fluoridating their water supply.

Melanie Johnson: The Department is aware that Greater Manchester strategic health authority has expressed interest in the fluoridation of water supplies.

Hospital-acquired Conditions

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the average cost of treating a patient with (a) MRSA and (b) pressure sores in the last year.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 18 March 2005
	The reference costs data provides unit cost information for a variety of procedures, treatments and services undertaken by the national health service in England for a given financial year. However, the costs of treating methicillin resistant "Staphylococcus aureus" and pressure sores cannot be separately identified from the information collected centrally.

Mental Health Services (Leeds)

Paul Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the expenditure of the Leeds Community and Mental Health Trust, and its successor trust, was on mental health services in each year since 1992.

Melanie Johnson: The information is not available in the format requested.
	The table shows the total operating expenses for the Leeds Community and Mental Health National Health Service Trust and its successor trust, the Leeds Mental Health Teaching NHS Trust.
	
		£000
		
			  Total operating expenses 
		
		
			 Leeds Community and Mental Health NHS Trust 
			 1996–97 85,361 
			 1997–98 91,283 
			 1998–99 91,423 
			 1999–2000 97,778 
			 2000–01 113,014 
			 2001–02 122,226 
			 2002–03 92,972 
			   
			 Leeds Mental Health Teaching NHS Trust 
			 2003–04 90,635 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Data relating to the accounts of individual NHS bodies is not held prior to 1996–97.
	2. Expenditure cannot be split between mental health services and other services.
	Sources:
	1. Audited summarisation schedules of the Leeds Community and Mental Health NHS Trust 1996–97 to 2002–03.
	2. Audited summarisation schedules of the Leeds Mental Health Teaching NHS Trust 2003–04.

South Tees Hospital Trust

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with South Tees hospital trust on its financial position; and what assessment he has made of its plans for (a) staff appointments, (b) shift patterns and overtime for permanent staff and (c) timing of operations.

Melanie Johnson: The role of Health Ministers and the Department is to secure adequate resources for funding the national health service and to set out a strategic framework for it to work within. This allows decisions about local NHS services to be taken at a local level.
	In line with "Shifting the Balance of Power", strategic health authorities (SHAs) performance manage the NHS organisations within their area. The SHAs will work in partnership with primary care trusts and local health providers to determine how best to use the funds allocated, to meet national and local priorities for improving health, to tackle health inequalities and modernise services.

Targets

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of whether the public service agreement target to halt the year-on-year rise in obesity among children aged under 11 by 2010 will be met.

Melanie Johnson: The public service agreement (PSA) target is jointly owned by the Department of Health, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Education and Skills in recognition that cross-Government action will be necessary to tackle this major public health issue.
	The delivery plan for the White Paper, "Choosing Health", together with action plans focusing on nutrition and activity published recently, demonstrates how delivery of the White Paper commitments will contribute to the PSA target.

Weight Loss Guide

Jane Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to publish the Weight Loss Guide announced in the Public Health White Paper; how he intends to consult stakeholders; if he will ensure that controlled carbohydrate dietary approaches are considered in this process; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: The Public Health White Paper, "Choosing Health", makes a commitment to issue a weight loss guide by July 2005. The content and process of developing the guide are still under discussion.

Armed Forces Discipline

Parmjit Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces personnel have been (a) disciplined, (b) court-martialled and (c) dismissed for alcohol misuse or behaviour related to alcohol misuse since 1997.

Ivor Caplin: The number of recorded disciplinary cases and subsequent dismissals for alcohol misuse in the armed forces since 1997 are:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Summary discipline(3) 3,421 
			 Courts-martial 213 
			 Dismissed 9 
		
	
	(3) Cases dealt with at summary level are not available for the Naval Service prior to 2001, the Army prior to October 2000 and for RAF officers prior to 2001.
	These figures represent the number of those charged with drunkenness and vehicle alcohol related offences. They exclude those charged with other offences (eg criminal damage) where alcohol may have been a factor.

British Nuclear Deterrent

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate his Department has made of the death toll that would arise from the use of one of the UK's (a) tactical and (b) strategic nuclear warheads on a population centre of (i) 100,000, (ii) 1 million and (iii) 5 million inhabitants.

Geoff Hoon: The UK has no tactical nuclear weapons.
	The casualties that might arise from the use of a nuclear weapon depend on a wide range of variable factors. These include the yield and design of the weapon; the accuracy of the delivery system; the nature and construction of the target; the geographical characteristics of the surrounding terrain; geological conditions in the target area; the height of weapon burst; and the weather conditions at the target.

Defence Estate

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list farmers and farm companies which rent land from his Department on Salisbury Plain; how much land, in hectares, each of these rent; and which of these farms have been used for military training purposes in the last five years.

Ivor Caplin: Forty three farmers or farm companies currently rent land from the MOD on Salisbury Plain. The information requested is shown below, although, in accordance with the Data Protection Act these have not been listed by name.
	Land is categorised as either schedule I, or schedule III (there is no longer a schedule II). Military training takes place over all schedule III land. Schedule I land on Salisbury Plain is arable in nature, and located around the edges of the training and impact areas acting as a buffer zone between military activities and the civilian population. Land designated as schedule I attracts higher rents. Generally speaking, schedule I land is not used for training, but depending upon the terms of an individual agreement, and the rights reserved under it, some training may take place, with compensation payable in the event of damage being caused by military personnel.
	It should be noted that the total number of hectares let out has altered since my last answer on 10 February, and will change again in the next month as work is concluded on grazing licences under the mid-term review.
	The table details current information where the farm is depicted by a serial number, the relevant schedule and the number of hectares involved.
	
		
			 Farm no. Schedule 1 land in hectares Schedule III in hectares 
		
		
			 1 180.36 409.33 
			 2 285.13 824.33 
			 3 24.01 542.13 
			 4 147.3 202.58 
			 5 97.05 0.00 
			 6 129.83 2,165.64 
			 7 0.00 2.50 
			 8 0.00 706.13 
			 9 43.3 298.24 
			 10 256.1 119.10 
			 11 214.1 283.54 
			 12 42.02 160.95 
			 13 313.95 394.73 
			 14 88.0 1,588.72 
			 15 39.46 607.71 
			 16 93.38 283.13 
			 17 99.16 442.39 
			 18 45.21 1,305.6 
			 20 36.02 225.59 
			 21 16.0 538.77 
			 22 218.09 1,099.96 
			 23 184.08 473.48 
			 24 21.82 14.36 
			 25 139.74 263.19 
			 26 209.09 407.55 
			 27 175.08 551.85 
			 28 104.05 1,631.66 
			 29 172.07 24.80 
			 30 0.00 149.86 
			 31 146.06 609.27 
			 32 87.04 0.00 
			 33 59.02 740.82 
			 34 142.06 33.38 
			 35 103.76 956.33 
			 36 0.00 21.91 
			 37 50.47 155.07 
			 38 0.00 179.38 
			 39 390.22 909.12 
			 40 107.98 0.00 
			 41 453.39 870.28 
			 42 325.15 201.78 
			 43 27.69 170.07 
			 Total 5,267.24 20,565.23 
			 Grand total  25,832.47

Defence Estate

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate the income per hectare in 2005 which would be derived from the rental of land owned by his Department to farmers at full market value.

Ivor Caplin: Rents are negotiated on a case by case basis and reflect sometimes onerous conditions which this department has to impose on tenants. Rents thus reflect "what the market will bear" and this is effectively the full market rent for those sites. Bearing that in mind, the average income per hectare for 2005 is estimated at £34.62.

Defence Export Services Organisation

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 23 February 2005, Official Report, column 652W, on the Defence Export Services Organisation, which Ministers attended the Defence Export Services Organisation Symposium on 9 March.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 22 March 2005
	The Secretary of State for Defence, the Minister for Defence Procurement, and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Mr. Rammell, participated in the Defence Export Services Organisation Symposium on 9 March 2005.

Defence Service Agencies (Scotland)

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much of its personnel budget for each financial year since 1997–98 the Armed Forces Personnel Administration Agency spent in Scotland (a) in monetary terms and (b) as a percentage of the total personnel budget for that year; how many personnel were employed in Scotland in each case; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: We are unable to answer the question fully, as personnel cost statistics by geographical area are not held.
	Details held by AFPAA of MOD staff employed in Scotland are as follows:
	
		
			 Date AFPAA MOD civilians employed in Scotland AFPAA MOD Service personnel employed in Scotland 
		
		
			 April 1997 Nil Nil 
			 April 1998 Nil Nil 
			 April 1999 Nil Nil 
			 April 2000 Nil Nil 
			 April 2001 Nil Nil 
			 April 2002 110 10 
			 April 2003 20 10 
			 April 2004 20 10 
			 January 2005 30 10 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. MOD figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	2. MOD civilians numbers employed by the agency in Scotland were published in the United Kingdom Defence Statistics 2004, but not in previous editions.
	Both civilian and Service personnel data by agency are collated annually at 1 April and presented in Table 2.6 of UK Defence Statistics, a copy of which is held in the House of Commons Library. Further information on personnel figures is available on the DASA website at www.dasa.mod.uk.
	The number of Service personnel employed by agency and location is not collated centrally. However, locally held records were available and have been included.
	A table showing numbers of civilian personnel by MOD agency, for the agency as a total and those employed in Scotland specifically, for the period 1 April 1997 to 1 January 2005, has also been published on the Defence Analytical Services Agency website, www. dasa.mod.uk, and has been placed in the Library of the House.
	The civilian workforce numbers have been collated from centrally held records and may be different to locally produced numbers. However, all numbers in the table are produced using the agreed standard definition of civilian workforce, in full-time equivalent terms (part-time staff are counted only in proportion to the number of hours worked compared to the normal full-time hours) and are rounded to the nearest 10 to preserve confidentiality.

Infantry Manning

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  if he will publish the recent reports of the Director of Infantry's study for the Army Board on Infantry Manning;
	(2)  if he will publish all recent papers for the Executive Committee of the Army Board.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 13 January 2005
	I am withholding the documents in question since releasing the papers would prejudice the effective formulation of government policy, on the basis that it would discourage the consideration of the full range of options thereby interfering with the effective conduct of business.
	In arriving at this judgment, I have weighed carefully the public interest in disclosure against the harm that I assess would result from doing so. I have also taken into account the full description of the Government's decisions which have already been provided to Parliament.
	However, I am making an exception with the statistical information about manning levels which informed ECAB's consideration of how the reduction by four battalions should be effected. Copies of this will be placed in the Library of the House.

Naval Sector Strategy Study

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what remit he has given to the armed forces members of the Naval Sector Strategy Study.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 14 March 2005, Official Report, column 30W.

Private Finance Initiative

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many private finance initiative and public private partnership contracts with his Department have been won by subsidiaries of Halliburton in each year since 1997; what the terms were of each contract; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence has let two private finance initiative (PFI) contracts and no public private partnership (PPP) contracts with subsidiaries of Halliburton since 1997.
	In December 2001 a contract was signed with the FASTRAX consortium which is led by the United Kingdom element of the Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR).
	The contract is for the provision of Heavy Equipment Transportation (HET) Services (i.e. primarily Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank), using Sponsored Reserves. The other consortium members are Oshkosh Truck Corporation, Deutsche Bank, King Trailers and Tru-hitch.
	Details are as follows:
	20 year PFI contract worth, in Whole Life Cost terms, approximately £290 million (excluding VAT).
	Service under the contract commenced on 7 July 2003 and became fully operational in July 2004.
	The project was awarded the "Best Operational PFI Project" at the Public Private Partnership Industry awards in May 2004.
	In April 2003 a contract was signed with Brey Utilities a Yorkshire-based consortium comprising Yorkshire Water (45 per cent.), Earth Tech Engineering (45 per cent.) and the UK element of the Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR) (10 per cent.).
	The contract is for the provision of water and wastewater services at over 3,000 MOD sites in the UK. Aquatrine Package A covers approximately 1,000 sites in the Midlands, Wales and South West England.
	Details are as follows:
	25 year PFI contract worth, in Whole Life Cost terms, approximately £1 billion (excluding VAT).
	Service delivery under the contract commenced and became fully operational on 1 December 2003.

RAF St. Mawgan

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the decision was taken to place RAF St. Mawgan into care and maintenance; and when he expects to inform the House of the implications of this decision.

Adam Ingram: No RAF aircraft will, under current plans, be based at RAF St. Mawgan after the Search and Rescue Operational Conversion Unit departs in 2006–07. The decision, subject to appropriate Trades Union consultation, to place the airfield there onto a care and maintenance basis was taken shortly in advance of my announcement on 10 March. The implications of this decision are that the Department will not be expending resources on facilities for which there will be no military requirement.

Trident

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of possible acquisition costs for a replacement for the Trident nuclear warhead.

Geoff Hoon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 1 March 2005, Official Report, column 1148W, to the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan (Mr. Salmond) and the hon. Member for North Tayside (Mr. Wishart).

Essex Police

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many hours police officers have spent attending incidents inside and outside nightclubs in each year since 1997 in (a) Essex and (b) Southend.

Hazel Blears: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Accidents

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many accidents occurred at his departmental premises in each of the last five years involving (a) members of his Department's staff and (b) members of the public;
	(2)  whether he publishes data for the number of accidents at work involving employees of his Department; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what arrangements for monitoring accidents at work involving members of staff of his Department are in place; and if he will make a statement.

Fiona Mactaggart: The available information for each of the last five years is as follows:
	
		Core Home Office—Financial years
		
			  Staff Members of the public/visitors 
		
		
			 2000–01 33 1 
			 2001–02 21 0 
			 2002–03 30 0 
			 2003–04 34 0 
			 2004–05(4) 36 0 
		
	
	(4) 2004–05 figures are for 11 months only up to 28 February 2005.
	
		Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND)—Financial years
		
			  Staff Members of the public/visitors 
		
		
			 2000–01 125 2 
			 2001–02 175 6 
			 2002–03(5) , (6) 299 — 
			 2003–04 637 — 
			 2004–05(7) 803 — 
		
	
	(5) From 1 April 2002—figures include staff, visitors, detainees and contractors.
	(6) From 1April 2002—records include instances of verbal abuse and threatening behaviour towards staff.
	(7) 2004–05 figures are for 9 months only up to 31 December 2004.
	
		Prison Service (PS)—Financial years
		
			  Staff Members of the public/visitors 
		
		
			 2000–01 6,578 138 
			 2001–02 5,361 74 
			 2002–03(8) 9,994 261 
			 2003–04 8,058 218 
			 2004–05(9) — — 
		
	
	(8) From 1 April 2002—figures include both visitors and contractors.
	(9) 2004–05 figures are not yet available.
	
		United Kingdom Passport Service (UKPS)—Financial years
		
			  Staff Members of the public/visitors 
		
		
			 2000–01 54 1 
			 2001–02 81 4 
			 2002–03 71 4 
			 2003–04 77 1 
			 2004–05(10) 77 1 
		
	
	(10) 2004–05 figures are for 11 months only up to 28 February 2005.
	
		Forensic Science Service (FSS)—Financial years
		
			  Staff Members of the public/visitors 
		
		
			 2000–01 347 9 
			 2001–02 483 1 
			 2002–03 398 1 
			 2003–04 338 5 
			 2004–05(11) 259 5 
		
	
	(11) 2004–05 figures are for 10 monthly only up to 21 January 2005.
	
		Central Police Training and Development Authority (CENTREX) formerly known as National Police Training (NPT)—Calendar years
		
			  Staff Members of the public/visitors 
		
		
			 2000 45 0 
			 2001 59 3 
			 2002 74 0 
			 2003 61 0 
			 2004 64 0 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures do not include student police officers.
	Accidents at work are reported and monitored in a number of ways across the Department and its agencies. All accidents are reported on an internal accident reporting system. Where an accident is required to be reported to the Health and Safety Executive, the reporting procedure laid down in the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulation 1995 is followed.
	Line managers are provided with guidance on reporting accidents. This includes the requirement to pass this information to others with an interest including health and safety professionals. Accident reports are then scrutinised to see what further action may be required to deal with the situation and prevent recurrence.

Asylum Seekers

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 9 March 2005, Official Report, columns 1830–31W, on asylum seekers, what the average cost to public funds of removing failed asylum applicants was in (a) 1997, (b) 1998, (c) 2000, (d) 2001 and (e) 2002; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: The cost of the removal of failed asylum seekers is not disaggregated from the overall costs of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) and therefore not readily available. Any attempt to calculate the cost of removal of failed asylum seekers would need to take into account a large number of factors and this could be done only at disproportionate cost. However the total public spending for IND is set out in the published Home Office Report.
	Information on the number of failed asylum seekers whom have been removed from the UK in each calendar year since 1997 is shown in the table.
	
		Number of persons(13)
		
			  Principal asylum applicants removed Dependants removed (14) Total removed (14) 
		
		
			 1997 7,160 — — 
			 1998 6,990 — — 
			 1999(14) 7,665 — — 
			 2000(14) 8,980 — — 
			 2001(14) 9,285 1,495 10,780 
			 2002 10,740 3,170 13,910 
			 2003(15) 13,005 4,890 17,895 
			 2004(15) 12,430 2,290 14,715 
		
	
	(12) Includes enforced removals, persons departing voluntarily following enforcement action being initiated against them, persons leaving under Assisted Voluntary Return Programmes run by the International Organisation for Migration.
	(13) Figures may include a small number of dependants leaving under Assisted Voluntary Return Programmes.
	(14) Data on dependants removed not available before April 2001.
	(15) Provisional figures.
	Note:
	Figures rounded to the nearest 5, and may not sum due to rounding.
	Statistics on the number of asylum applicants removed from the UK are available from the Home Office website at www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.

Child Poverty

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department is taking to achieve the Government's targets of ending child poverty by 2020, and halving it by 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 9 March 2005
	The Home Office is supporting the Treasury in meeting the ambitious targets this Government have set on child poverty. Children born into poverty are more likely to be victims of crime and more likely to offend. The child poverty review highlighted the strong associations between youth crime, parental crime and child poverty.
	In order to tackle the poor outcomes associated with child poverty, and to improve the life chances of poor children, the Home Office has invested in a number of prevention programmes for children at risk of involvement in crime or substance misuse.
	To break the cycle of youth offending and deprivation, the Home Office strategic plan includes a commitment to increase youth crime prevention programmes. This includes multi-agency youth inclusion and support panels, targeting high risk children and their families, providing them with support and improving their access to mainstream services. It also includes the youth inclusion programme, which targets the 13 to 16-year-olds most at risk of crime in 72 of the most deprived neighbourhoods. The numbers of both will be increased by 50 per cent. by 2008. We have also increased the coverage of intensive supervision and surveillance programme (ISSPs).
	Children living in poverty are a key risk group for substance misuse. We are targeting young people in the most deprived neighbourhoods at risk of substance misuse through 'Positive Futures', a national sports based social inclusion programme aimed at marginalised 10 to 19-year-olds. Positive Futures aims to
	"have a positive influence on participants' substance misuse, physical activity and offending behaviour".
	The Positive Futures projects have proved successful in building relationships, engaging and providing developmental opportunities for young people living in deprived areas.

Criminal Justice (Case Files)

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the project to make case file information on a suspect electronically available to all the main criminal justice organisations was initiated; what stage the project has reached; whether it is on schedule; and what the latest estimate of the cost of this project is.

Caroline Flint: The contract for NSPIS case preparation was placed in 1997 and for NSPIS custody in 1998. "Thick" client case preparation, whereby the NSPIS case preparation application is held on the force's local IT server system, was initiated and deployed in March 2002 and custody followed in May 2002. Presently there are 11 forces with NSPIS case preparation in operational use and nine forces with custody. Version four of NSPIS custody and case preparation is scheduled to be rolled out in April 2005 with version five to follow in July 2005. NSPIS custody and case preparation will be available to all 43 forces in England and Wales by 31 March 2006. The forecast spend for the NSPIS programme to the end of 2005–06 is £228 million.

Criminal Justice Act

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the provisions of chapter 2 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 will be brought into force.

Paul Goggins: The provisions relating to hearsay evidence contained in chapter 2 of part 11 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 will be brought into force on 4 April 2005.

Departmental Policies (Newcastle-under-Lyme)

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the Government have taken to promote stronger and safer communities in Newcastle-under-Lyme since 1997.

Hazel Blears: Since 1997 Newcastle-under-Lyme has benefited from a number of crime reduction and community safety initiatives. The Government Office for the West Midlands provides partnership support for all Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs) across the region, with identified partnership support officers to assist with making best use of Government funds. In addition, support is given to enable CDRPs to make better linkages with other funding programmes and achieve greater efficiency in programme management and evaluation.
	The Newcastle-under-Lyme Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership has received a total of £997,370 since 2001–02 to promote stronger and safer communities. This funding has been provided through a variety of funds, as set out in the following table. While Newcastle-under-Lyme will have received further funding for some elements of the Crime Reduction Programme prior to 2002, the exact details are not collected centrally.
	
		
			 Fund Amount (£) 
		
		
			 2001–02  
			 Communities Against Drugs (CAD) 112,700 
			   
			 2002–03  
			 Safer Communities Fund (SCI) 39,702 
			 Communities Against Drugs (CAD) 112,700 
			 Capital Modernisation Fund (Small Retailers in  Deprived Areas) 34,946 
			 Reducing Burglary Initiative 7,900 
			 CCTV (under the Crime Reduction Programme) 48,690 
			 Wardens 18,125 
			 Total 262,063.00 
			   
			 2003–04  
			 Building Safer Communities Fund (BSC) 158,301 
			 Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) 19,000 
			 CMF (SRDA) 17,597 
			 Business Crime 1,000 
			 Wardens 19,725 
			 BCU Fund(16) 100,000 
			 Total 315,623.00 
			   
			 2004–05  
			 BSC 162,259 
			 ASB 25,000 
			 Wardens 19,725 
			 BCU Fund(16) 100,000 
			 Total 306,984.00 
		
	
	(16)BCU fund goes to North Staffs BCU which covers both Newcastle-U-Lyme and Staffordshire Moorlands CDRP and is £200,000. For ease of reckoning it is inferred that each CDRP would receive 50 per cent., hence £100,000.
	Information on police strength is set out in Table 1. The Newcastle-under-Lyme parliamentary constituency is part of the North Staffordshire Basic Command Unit (BCU) of the Staffordshire Police. Information on strength at BCU level is collected annually and reflects the position at the end of March. Information on BCU strength is only available from 2002. BCU strength between March 2002 and March 2004 is set out in the Table 2. It is not possible to provide police numbers at constituency level.
	
		Table 1: Staffordshire police strength 1997 to 2004
		
			 As at 31 March Police officer numbers(17) Police (support) staff 1 
		
		
			 1997 2,211 763 
			 1998 2,292 866 
			 1999 2,238 1,004 
			 2000 2,170 858 
			 2001 2,129 935 
			 2002 2,133 1,030 
			 2003 2,202 1,146 
			 2004 2,266 1,255 
			 2004 (31 August) (18)2,274 Not available 
		
	
	(17) Data provided by Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate (RDS).
	(18) August 2004 was collected separately outside of the normal data collection arrangements and has not been subject to the same validation as RDS data.
	
		Table 2: North Staffordshire Basic Command Unit
		
			 As at 31 March Number of police officers 
		
		
			 2002 269 
			 2003 Not available 
			 2004 301 
		
	
	Note:
	The deployment of officers to BCUs is a matter for the Chief Constable (Mr. John Giffard QPM) and within the North Staffordshire BCU deployment of officers is a matter for the Divisional Commander.

Fixed Penalty Notices

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many times (a) Essex and (b) Southend community support officers have issued a fixed penalty notice to parents for truancy since 27 February 2004;
	(2)  how many times (a) Essex and (b) Southend community support officers have stopped cyclists in order to issue a fixed penalty notice for cycling on a footpath since 20 January 2004;
	(3)  how many times (a) Essex and (b) Southend community support officers have issued a fixed penalty notice for graffiti and fly posting since 31 March 2004;
	(4)  how many times (a) Essex and (b) Southend community support officers have used the power to disperse groups since 20 January 2004;
	(5)  how many times (a) Essex and (b) Southend community support officers have used the power (i) to detain a person for up to 30 minutes pending the arrival of a constable, or to accompany that person to a police station with the person's agreement and (ii) to use reasonable force to detain a person or prevent him or her from leaving the scene in each year since their inception.

Hazel Blears: This information is not collected centrally.
	Commencement of paragraph 2 of Schedule 4 to the Police Reform Act 2002, whereby a Chief Constable may designate the power of detention to a Community Support Officer (CSO), took place on 23 December 2004. The Chief Constable of Essex is currently considering whether to designate CSOs on his force with the power to detain.

Holocaust Memorial Day

Rudi Vis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment his Department has made of the impact of holocaust memorial day in increasing awareness of and drawing conclusions from the holocaust; and what plans he has for future commemorations.

Fiona Mactaggart: Home Office quantitative polling research included four questions about holocaust memorial day (HMD) in the August 2004 and February 2005 surveys. The February 2005 research findings show a significant increase in awareness with 77 per cent. of those interviewed having heard of HMD (compared with 53 per cent. in August 2004) and 66 per cent. agreeing that events like HMD have an important part to play in combating racism and discrimination (compared with 51 per cent. in August 2004).
	To give a comparison, in February 2004 a BBC survey revealed only 55 per cent. of the UK's population had ever heard of Auschwitz. A new BBC survey conducted in January 2005 has shown that now 94 per cent. of the population in the UK has heard of Auschwitz. This awareness is not just superficial, with half of the UK population feeling that they now know quite a lot about the holocaust, compared to only 30 per cent. last year. In establishing HMD the Government wanted to drive up awareness and understanding of the holocaust. The televised national event in January, preceded by a reception for survivors at St. James's Palace in the presence of Her Majesty the Queen and supported by other media programming about the holocaust, has succeeded in this aim. Understanding the continuum of hatred and marginalisation that led from racist abuse to mass genocide will help new generations to stand up to anti-semitism, racism and intolerance.
	The 2005 commemoration provides an excellent basis for the work of the new Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, which will shortly be launched and will assume responsibility for the delivery of HMD from now on.

Illegal Abortions

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convictions of individuals for unlawfully carrying out abortions there have been in each year since 1997.

Hazel Blears: The available information is contained in the table and gives the number of offenders found guilty at all courts for "procuring illegal abortion", England and Wales 1997 to 2003.
	
		Number of offenders found guilty at all courts for "procuring illegal abortion" (19) England and Wales 1997 to 2003
		
			  Found guilty 
		
		
			 1997 5 
			 1998 3 
			 1999 — 
			 2000 1 
			 2001 — 
			 2002 — 
			 2003 1 
		
	
	(19) These data are on the principal offence basis.
	Statistics on court proceedings for 2004 will be published in the autumn.

Neighbourhood Policy Document

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many copies of Neighbourhood Policy—Your Police, Your Community, Our Commitment (a) have been printed, (b) have been distributed to date and (c) have been distributed unsolicited; and what the costs to date are of (i) design, (ii) printing and (iii) distribution.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 22 March 2005
	The publication Neighbourhood Policing—Your Police, Your Community explains the Government's policies on community based policing. It is intended for those who work in policing and for the communities they serve.
	A total of 300,00 copies of the publication were printed in English and 3,500 in Welsh.
	To date 107,730 copies have been distributed to 21,546 addressees.
	The costs of the publication were £850 for design; £42,474 for print and £24,000 for distribution.

Parliamentary Questions

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when his Department will provide a substantive reply to questions 202011 and 202012 tabled for answer on 6 December 2004.

Fiona Mactaggart: holding answer 4 March 2005
	I replied to the hon. Member on 14 March 2005, Official Report, column 1841W.

Police

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much the police received in funding in (a) 1997 and (b) 2003.

Hazel Blears: Funding for the police service in England and Wales is set out in the following table.
	
		£ million
		
			  1997–98 2003–04 
		
		
			 Home office police grant 3,473 4,288 
			 Revenue support grant(22) , (23) 1,516 2,055 
			 National non-domestic rates(22) , (23) 1,035 770 
			 Total other grants(24) — 658 
			 Capital grants(25) 170 306 
			 Revenue raised from council tax(22) 947 2,047 
			 Total 7,141 10,124 
		
	
	(22) Source: Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and National Assembly for Wales.
	(23) Revenue Support Grant (RSG) includes SSA Reduction Grant and Central Support Protection grant in 1997–98. RSG and NNDR for the City of London Police are provided in respect of all the Corporation's functions.
	(24) Specific grants for targeted programmes.
	(25) Capital grants include Home Office police capital grant, supplementary credit approvals, Air Support, Premises Improvement Fund, Airwave capital and C3i. The figure for 1997–98 includes an element for major capital schemes allocated under the Priority Planning List (PPL) scheme.

Police Funding

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been allocated to police funding in each year since 2001.

Hazel Blears: Government grant to support policing in England and Wales since 2001 is set out in the table.
	
		£ million
		
			  Home Office police grant National non-domestic rates(29) , (30) Revenue support grant (29) , (30) Total other grants(31) Capital grants(32) Total 
		
		
			 2001–02 (33) 3,955 1,214 1,596 229 221 7,215 
			 2002–03 4,005 1,311 1,504 349 316 7,485 
			 2003–04 4,288 770 2,055 658 306 8,077 
			 2004–05 4,380 744 2,222 708 261 8,315 
			 2005–06 4,574 877 2,244 766 255 8,716 
		
	
	(29) Source: Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and National Assembly for Wales.
	(30) Revenue Support Grant (RSG) includes SSA Reduction Grant and Central Support Protection grant. RSG and NNDR for the City of London police is provided in respect of all its functions.
	(31) Specific grants since 2000–01 for targeted programmes.
	(32) Capital grants include Home Office police capital grant, supplementary credit approvals, Air Support, Premises Improvement Fund, Airwave capital and C3i. The figures included substantial capital for Airwave in 2001–02 (£74.3 million), 2002–03 (£101.2 million) and 2002–03 (£5.9 million). Totals up to 2001–02 include an element for major capital schemes allocated under the Priority Planning List (PPL) scheme.
	(33) The grant figures for 2001–02 and 2002–03 are not directly comparable, owing to changes from 2002–03 in the method of funding the National Crime Squad and the National Criminal Intelligence Service.

Prisons (Sustainability Test)

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if he will visit prison personnel at HM Prisons (a) Swaleside, (b) Elmley and (c) Standford Hill to discuss the sustainability test;
	(2)  at which other prisons sustainability tests will be conducted following those at HM Prisons Swaleside, Elmley and Standford Hill; and what implications for terms of employment of prison staff the sustainability test has.

Paul Goggins: I hope to have the opportunity to visit staff at the three prisons on the Isle of Sheppey in the near future.
	We are announcing one competition relating to prisons at this time. No decision has yet been taken about the future programme. If the public sector Prison Service is successful in its bid for running prisons on the Isle of Sheppey, there will be no changes to terms of employment of prison staff as a result of the competition. Should the public sector Prison Service be unsuccessful in its bid for running prisons on the Isle of Sheppey, then management of the "undertaking" will transfer to the private sector bidder.
	All staff will form part of the "undertaking" and will therefore transfer to the new employers under the protection of TUPE (Transfer of Undertaking; Protection of Employment Act). TUPE provides that staff will transfer on such existing terms and conditions as those provided by the previous employer and thereafter changes in such terms and conditions will be negotiated directly between the new employer and the employees/recognised trade union as appropriate.
	Pension arrangements for such staff have to be "broadly comparable" and within guidelines established by the Cabinet Office entitled "Fair Deal on Pensions".
	Additionally, the recent establishment of the Code of Practice on Two-Tier Workforce, agreed by both the TUC and CBI, now makes provision that any new staff joining the transferred undertaking after the date of transfer must be employed on comparable terms and conditions as the existing workforce, hence creating a "level
	playing" field in terms of competition between bidders.

Sex Abuse (Historical Cases)

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what types of investigations other than historical sex abuse police use (a) trawling and (b) dip-sampling.

Hazel Blears: The use of operational techniques in police investigations is an operational matter for the police. The Association of Chief Police Officers have advised that "dip-sampling", also referred to as "trawling", is rarely used during the course of police investigations. The use of "dip-sampling" is invariably limited to investigations involving allegations of historical sex abuse in care or residential homes, where the police need to identify any corroborating evidence relating to the allegations under investigation.

Sikhs

Parmjit Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will revise the Statutory Code of Practice to ensure that all public bodies recognise and monitor Sikhs for the purposes of the Race Relations Act 2000.

Fiona Mactaggart: holding answer 15 March 2005
	I have no current plans to revise the current Statutory Code of Practice on the duty to promote race equality under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000. The Statutory Code encourages public authorities to use the same ethnic classification system as the one used in the 2001 census, but it does provide public authorities with a degree of flexibility to add extra ethnic categories to fit their particular circumstances, providing these fit in with the census categories. This approach ensures consistency, allowing comparisons to be made over time and across different areas.

Sikhs

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he last reviewed the list of Sikh organisations included in the list of groups proscribed in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: The list of proscribed organisations is kept under regular review as a matter of policy, the Government do not comment on whether particular organisations are being considered for proscription or de-proscription under section 3 of the Terrorism Act 2000. Such decisions are only taken after the most careful consideration and on the basis of the best possible security advice.

Antisocial Behaviour

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many local authority antisocial behaviour orders have been (a) applied for and (b) obtained in each local authority in each year since their introduction, broken down by recipients aged (i) under 10, (ii) 10 to 20, (iii) 20 to 30, (iv) 30 to 50 and (v) over 50 years; and how many have been breached in each case.

Hazel Blears: I have been asked to reply.
	The available information is given in tables which have been placed in the Library. Data prior to 1 June 2000 is not broken down by type of applicant. Data by the requested age groups are not readily available. However, age group data for juveniles (10–17) and adults (18+) are given. Antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) are not given to children under the age of 10.
	Breach data are currently available for the period 1 June 2000 up to 31 December 2002. Data for 2003 are due to be released shortly

Gypsies and Travellers

Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  how many (a) sites and (b) caravans he assesses would be reasonable to be contained within a Gypsy and Traveller development plan document drawn up by Brentwood borough council;
	(2)  what his assessment is of the need for Gypsy and Traveller sites in (a) each (i) district and (ii) unitary authority in the county of Essex and (b) each county in the eastern region; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  how he will assess the need for Gypsy and Traveller sites in each (a) district, (b) county and (c) region; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  how he will allocate the required number of Gypsy and Traveller sites between adjoining local authorities in each district, county and region.

Yvette Cooper: It is for Brentwood borough council to assess the need for Gypsy and Traveller sites in its area. The Housing Act 2004 will require that local authorities, when assessing local housing need should include the accommodation needs of Gypsies and Travellers, and that they should develop a strategy on how to meet the needs identified.
	Assessments of housing need are co-ordinated at the regional level and provide input to the revision of regional spatial strategies (RSS). Guidance in the draft circular "Planning for Gypsy and Traveller Sites" proposes that where there is an assessment of unmet need for Gypsy and Traveller accommodation in the area the regional spatial strategy and development plan documents at local level should allocate land to meet those needs. The RSS should set out how the required number of pitches for Gypsies and Travellers might vary between constituent authorities. Development plan documents at local level should then allocate land to meet those needs.
	In advance of provision in revised regional spatial strategies local authorities have a range of information available to them to inform the development of local policies and plans, including the twice-yearly caravan count, waiting lists for public sites and incidents of unauthorised encampment, and their own assessments.

Gypsies and Travellers

Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many (a) authorised and (b) unauthorised Gypsy and Traveller sites there were in (i) each (A) district and (B) unitary authority in Essex and (ii) each county in the eastern region in the last five years for which figures are available.

Yvette Cooper: Detailed information on local authority Gypsy and Traveller sites in the east region is available in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's count of Gypsy and Traveller caravans, as is data on the number of caravans on private authorised sites, unauthorised encampments and unauthorised developments of land without planning permission. The bi-annual count is published electronically on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website and paper copies are also available in the Libraries of the House.

Gypsies and Travellers

David Amess: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on unauthorised Traveller encampments.

Yvette Cooper: The Government introduced new powers to deal with unauthorised camping in the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003. The joint Office of the Deputy Prime Minister/Home Office document, "Guidance on Managing Unauthorised Camping", was published in February 2004 and amended on 7 March 2005.

Homelessness

Parmjit Gill: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much funding has been spent on supporting homeless people in (a) Leicester, South, (b) Leicester and (c) England since 1997.

Yvette Cooper: Before 2002–03 our homelessness grant funding was allocated to various voluntary organisations to support their work in reducing rough sleeping and tackling homelessness. It is not possible to break down allocations by local authority area prior to 2002–03.
	Since 2002–03, homelessness grant funding has been mainly routed through local authorities to sustain rough sleeping, end the long term use of bed and breakfast (B&B) accommodation for homeless families with children and to tackle homelessness more effectively. The following table is a breakdown of the total figure of homelessness grant funding allocated to Leicester city council (which would cover Leicester South) and all local authorities and voluntary sector agencies in England since 1997.
	
		Homelessness grants -- £ million
		
			  Leicester England 
		
		
			 1997–98 — 12.0 
			 1998–99 — 19.0 
			 1999–2000 — 25.0 
			 2000–01 — 39.0 
			 2001–02 — 32.0 
			 2002–03(34) 0.3 90.0 
			 2003–04 0.4 70.0 
			 2004–05 1.5 60.0 
		
	
	(34) First year of funding routed through all local authorities.
	On 14 March, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister announced our new strategy for tackling homelessness "Sustainable Communities: settled homes; changing lives" which builds on our successes in tackling the worst aspects of homelessness—a 70 per cent. reduction in rough sleeping since 1998 and ending the long term use of homeless families with children living in B&B accommodation. It also sets out plans to reduce homelessness further and halve the use of temporary accommodation by 2010. On the same day, we announced that £200 million will be made available over the next three years to support homelessness prevention schemes.
	A copy of "Sustainable Communities: settled homes; changing lives" has been made available in the Library of the House and is also available on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website at: www.odpm.gov.uk
	The Supporting People programme which went live in April 2003 also plays an important part in tackling and preventing homelessness. How local authorities allocate Supporting People grant is a matter for local discretion. However, on the basis of expenditure patterns at April 2003, it is estimated that the sums in the following table were available to authorities to help tackle and prevent homelessness in their areas.
	
		
			 Client group Homeless families with support needs Single homeless with support needs Rough sleepers 
		
		
			 England
			 2003–04 51,750,009 288,847,929 12,720,645 
			 2004–05 51,225,000 286,947,000 12,505,000 
			 Leicestershire County 
			 2003–04 64,576 1,096,914 0 
			 2004–05 66,000 1,118,000 0 
			 Leicester Unitary Council 
			 2003–04 1,621,164 4,841,224 0 
			 2004–05 1,591,000 4,751,000 0 
		
	
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is increasing the supply of new social rented homes by 50 per cent. by 2008, providing 75,000 new social rented homes over the next three years which, with our continued investment in homelessness prevention, will help to turn around the rising trend in homelessness.

Official Residences

Chris Grayling: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the official residences for which his Department is responsible; who occupies each one; what the annual cost is of running each property; what contribution the occupants of each make towards running costs; what the total capital and refurbishment expenditure has been on those properties in each of the past five years; how much money was spent in each property on (a) flowers and plants, (b) wine and entertaining, (c) food, (d) telephone bills and (e) electricity and gas in 2003–04; how many (i) domestic and (ii) maintenance staff are employed at each property, broken down by post; and what the total cost of staff employment was in 2003–04.

Yvette Cooper: With regard to which residences the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is responsible for and who occupies them, I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's answer of 20 January 2005, Official Report, column 1037W.
	On general running and refurbishment/maintenance costs of residences, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Member for Corby (Phil Hope) to the hon. Member for Hertford and Stortford (Mr. Prisk) on 18 November 2004, Official Report, column 1733W.
	The costs of other expenditure items in the official residence in Admiralty House of my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister are as follows:
	(a) There have been no flowers or plants provided from public funds.
	(b) The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's entertainment budget does not detail expenditure by venue and this could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	(c) There has been no expenditure on food from public funds.
	(d) The cost of telephone calls was £857.20 in 2003–04.
	(e) The cost of electricity and gas was £1,361.00 in 2003–04.
	i. There are no domestic staff providing services in the official residence occupied by my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister.
	ii. Maintenance within the residence is provided under a Cabinet Office contract and the cost of this is included within the service charge. There are no maintenance staff employed exclusively in my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister's official residence.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister also has the use of Dorneywood, which is a Trust property available for use by Ministers.

Education Spending (Crosby)

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much public funding has been spent on education in Crosby in each of the last seven years.

Stephen Twigg: The information requested is collected at local education authority level. Crosby is part of Sefton LEA and the following table contains the information requested:
	
		Total funding (real terms) from 1997–98 to 2004
		
			  Total funding (£ million) 
		
		
			 1997–98 128.5 
			 1998–99 133.4 
			 1999–2000 139.2 
			 2000–01 152.9 
			 2001–02 161.2 
			 2002–03 165.6 
			 2003–04 173.7 
			 2004–05 177.2 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Price Base: Real terms at 2003–04 prices, based on GDP deflators as at 30 September 2004.
	2. Figures reflect relevant sub-blocks of education SSA/EFS settlements and exclude the pensions transfer to EFS and LSC.
	3. Total funding also includes all revenue grants in DfES departmental expenditure limits relevant to pupils aged 3–19 and exclude EMAs and grants not allocated at LEA level.
	4. Where responsibility for funding a school transferred from an LEA, related funding no longer appears in the series.
	5. Rounding: figures are rounded to the nearest £0.1 million.
	6. Status: 2003–04 and 2004–05 figures are provisional as some grants have not yet been finalised/audited.

Nutrition Training

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what further consultation occurred after the expiry of the formal consultation deadline of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority funded consultation on the People 1st National Vocational Qualification, regarding whether nutrition should be a (a) mandatory and (b) optional unit at levels 1 to 4.

Stephen Twigg: There was further consultation on the standards and the levels of some units. Nutrition was covered in this consultation and, again, the results indicated that there was not a strong enough industry view that nutrition should be included as a mandatory unit in the new food preparation and cooking N/SVQs.

Pupil Funding (Crosby)

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much public funding was spent on each school pupil in Crosby on average in each of the last seven years.

Stephen Twigg: The information requested is collected at local education authority level. Crosby is part of Sefton LEA and the following table contains the information asked for:
	
		Funding (real terms) per pupil aged 3–19
		
			  Funding per pupil (£ million) 
		
		
			 1997–98 2,740 
			 1998–99 2,810 
			 1999–2000 2,930 
			 2000–01 3,200 
			 2001–02 3,360 
			 2002–03 3,480 
			 2003–04 3,640 
			 2004–05 3,770 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Price Base: real terms at 2003–04 prices, based on GDP deflators as at 30 September 2004.
	2. Figures reflect relevant sub-blocks of education SSA/EFS settlements and exclude the pensions transfer to EFS and LSC.
	3. Total funding also includes all revenue grants in DfES departmental expenditure limits relevant to pupils aged 3–19 and exclude EMAs and grants not allocated at LEA level.
	4. The pupil numbers used to convert m figures to per pupil are those underlying the SSA/EFS settlement calculations plus PLASC three-year-old maintained pupils and estimated three to four-year-olds funded through state support in maintained and other educational institutions where these are not included in the SSA pupil numbers.
	5. Rounding: figures are rounded to the nearest £10.
	6. Status: 2003–04 and 2004–05 figures are provisional as some grants have yet to be finalised/audited.

School Funding (Wimbledon)

Roger Casale: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much public funding has been spent on computers for schools in Wimbledon in each of the last seven years.

Derek Twigg: The Department does not hold information on funding for ICT in schools at constituency level. However, Wimbledon is in Merton LEA and allocations for this authority since 1998 are detailed in "Funding for ICT in Schools in England" which is available in the House Library.

School Funding (Wimbledon)

Roger Casale: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much funding each school in Wimbledon has received under the new deal for schools.

Stephen Twigg: Merton local education authority (LEA) was allocated the following amounts under the four phases of new deal for schools (NDS):
	
		£000
		
			 Period NDS funding 
		
		
			 1997/98 360 
			 1998/99 1,287 
			 1999/2000 1,217 
			 2000/01 1,922 
		
	
	Of the funding included in the table, Wimbledon schools received £106,998. Information on other projects is not held centrally.

School Funding (Wimbledon)

Roger Casale: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many teaching assistants there were in schools in Wimbledon (a) in each of the last seven years and (b) on the latest date for which figures are available.

Stephen Twigg: Information on the number of teaching assistants in service is collected in January of each year. The following table shows the number of teaching assistants in maintained schools in Wimbledon from 1997 to 2004, the latest information available.
	
		Full-time equivalent number of teaching assistants
		
			  Teaching assistants 
		
		
			 1997 70 
			 1998 80 
			 1999 80 
			 2000 90 
			 2001 110 
			 2002 100 
			 2003 100 
			 2004 150 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures include non-maintained special.
	2. Teaching assistant figures include nursery assistants, special needs and support staff and minority ethnic pupil support staff.
	3. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	Source:
	Annual School Census.

Referendums

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission which EU institutions may be permitted participants in a referendum, under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Viggers: Section 105(1) of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA) sets out the definition of 'permitted participant' in relation to a particular referendum to which Part VII of that Act applies. Ultimately, it would be for the courts to decide whether any particular body falls within the scope of this definition in relation to any particular referendum.
	As I informed the hon. Member for Vauxhall (Kate Hoey) on 7 March 2005, Official Report, columns 1666–67W, The Electoral Commission has already indicated that it does not regard the European Commission as falling into any of the categories of organisation that can be a permitted participant in a referendum on the EU Constitution. Beyond this, the Commission has not expressed any views on whether EU institutions may be permitted participants in any particular referendum to which Part VII of PPERA applies.

Institute of Sport Reviews

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the external reviews that have been undertaken into (a) the United Kingdom Institute of Sport and (b) the English Institute of Sport; and if she will place a copy of each report in the Library.

Richard Caborn: An external review of the English Institute of Sport was conducted by KPMG in June 2003. A copy of the report will shortly be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
	There have been no external reviews of the United Kingdom Institute of Sport.

Sport England

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations have been received from sports national governing bodies about Sport England's Whole Sport Funding Plan.

Richard Caborn: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 21 March 2005, Official Report, column 558W. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has subsequently received representations about Sport England's Whole Sport Plans from the Rugby Football Union (RFU), on behalf of the RFU, the Lawn Tennis Association, the Football Association and the England and Wales Cricket Board.

Alcohol/Tobacco (Tax Revenues)

Paul Flynn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total tax revenues earned from alcohol and tobacco were in the UK in each year since 1975, broken down by (a) duty paid and (b) tax raised from alcohol and tobacco.

John Healey: Tobacco and alcohol duty revenue figures are published by HM Customs and Excise in the Tobacco and Alcohol Factsheets, copies of which are available in the Library of the House and from Customs' website: www.uktradeinfo.com
	The above website provides 10 years' information on tobacco and alcohol duty revenues. HM Customs and Excise do not collect data on VAT from individual goods or services, but the above website provides broad estimates of VAT on alcohol and tobacco in recent years. The back series of duty revenues are shown in the Office for National Statistics publication "Financial Statistics", table 2.1D, which is available at the ONS website: www.statistics.gov.uk

Annual Growth Rate

Keith Vaz: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps the (a) UK and (b) EU economies are taking to meet the objective of 3 per cent. annual growth to bridge the economic gap with the United States.

Stephen Timms: The European Council concluded at its spring meeting this year that
	'it is essential to relaunch the Lisbon Strategy without delay and re-focus priorities on growth and employment'.
	The Government are committed to promoting economic reform at home and in Europe. And they continue to work closely with other member states and the Commission to advance structural reform.
	The Government's annual report sets out the measures and reforms they believe are required to deliver the Lisbon objective. The 2005 report, "Growth and Opportunity: prioritising economic reform in Europe", 1 was published in February this year. Further analysis was set out in the 2005 Budget companion document, "Long-term global economic challenges and opportunities for Europe". 2
	1 http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/261/64/Growth and Opportunity-381MB.pdf
	2 http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/A1D/6B/global final 140305.pdf

Cabinet Office Budget

Llew Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to increase the Cabinet Office budget to enable the Government's Chief Scientific Adviser to enhance the advice he can provide on security issues, as recommended in paragraph 27 of Cm 6492, Review of Intelligence on Weapons of Mass Destruction; Implementation of its Conclusions.

David Miliband: I have been asked to reply.
	The need to ensure access to relevant scientific expertise as part of the rigorous analysis of intelligence material has been recognised. As indicated in Cm6492, the increase in size of the Cabinet Office Assessments Staff will include at least one individual with a scientific background. All members of the Assessments Staff are tasked with ensuring that the relevant expert advice is sought as part of the assessment and analysis process. There are already significant scientific resources available to government on a wide range of subjects. Sir David King is being consulted on how best use of those resources in supporting analysis of security issues can be made.

Civil Service

Teddy Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which Departments and agencies he expects will be affected by the proposed reduction in civil service numbers; what account his Department has taken of local unemployment levels in preparation of these plans; and whether he expects that the proposed changes will affect civil servants employed in Southend-on-Sea.

Paul Boateng: The planned levels of reductions in total and in detail were set out in the Spending Review 2004 White Paper, and are summarised in Chapter 2, Table 2.2.
	It is for each Department to develop their own efficiency plans, including those for workforce reductions, taking into account their business needs. Departments are currently working through detailed implementation planning including location and local numbers, in consultation with all stakeholders including unions and staff. Departments will come forward with details of their plans as these are finalised.
	Jobcentre Plus is due to close a Social Security Office in Southend-on-Sea on 1 April 2007. It is anticipated that staff will move to the Basildon Benefit Processing Centre.
	In response to planned workforce changes, the Government have established the Efficiency and Relocation Support Programme to provide information and support to those affected.

European Union

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the UK's (a) rebate from the EU, (b) net contribution to the EU excluding the rebate and (c) net contribution to the Common Agriculture Policy excluding the rebate has been in each year since the rebate was introduced; how the rebate is calculated; how it is affected by changes in the UK net contributions to (i) the EU and (ii) the CAP; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The European Commission is directly and solely responsible for calculating the UK abatement. The formula for the calculation is set out in Article 4 of the Own Resources Decision (Council Decision 2000/597/EC, Euratom of 29 September 2000 and explained in more detail in a Working Methods Paper first published in 1988 and revised in 1994 and 2000 (10646/00 ADD 2 of 21 September 2000). A more detailed explanation can be found in the Glossary of the 2004 "European Community Finances" White Paper (Cm 6134, page 26).
	The UK rebate and net contribution to the EC Budget, excluding the rebate, for the period 1985–86 to 2003–04 are set out in the following table.
	
		£ million
		
			  UK Rebate UK net contribution, excluding UK rebate 
		
		
			 1985–86 823 1,815 
			 1986–87 1,343 2,564 
			 1987–88 1,137 2,948 
			 1988–89 1,600 2,767 
			 1989–90 1,317 3,769 
			 1990–91 1,838 4,023 
			 1991–92 2,428 3,371 
			 1992–93 1,993 4,161 
			 1993–94 2,350 4,542 
			 1994–95 1,648 3,289 
			 1995–96 1,576 5,428 
			 1886–97 2,418 4,712 
			 1997–98 1,563 4,130 
			 1998–99 2,447 6,557 
			 1999–2000 2,206 5,531 
			 2000–01 2,223 6,541 
			 2001–02 4,427 5,903 
			 2002–03 3,233 6,314 
			 2003–04 3,874 7,139 
		
	
	The Government's latest estimate of these two figures for 2004–05 are £3,722 million and £8,032 million respectively. The UK makes its contributions to the EC Budget as a whole and not to specific areas of expenditure. There is not therefore a UK net contribution to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

Job Creation (Wimbledon)

Roger Casale: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many new jobs have been created in Wimbledon since 1997.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been ask to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Roger Casale, dated 4 April 2005
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about the number of jobs created in Wimbledon. (224243)
	While statistics of new jobs created are not available explicitly, statistics from surveys enable comparisons to be made of net changes in numbers of jobs from year to year.
	The attached table shows the number of jobs in Wimbledon from 1997 to 2003 and the net change over that period. This is the latest period for which information is available.
	The Annual Business Inquiry and Annual Employment Survey, are sample surveys and therefore the estimates used in this answer are subject to sampling variability. The small change in the number of jobs in Wimbledon from 1997 to 2003 should therefore be treated with caution.
	
		Number of employee jobs and change in jobs(44) , (45) in the parliamentary constituency of Wimbledon: 1997 to 2003
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1997 43,000 
			 1998 45,000 
			 1999 48,000 
			 2000 50,000 
			 2001 48,000 
			 2002 46,000 
			 2003 43,000 
			 Change(46) in number of jobs since 1997 -1,000 
		
	
	(44) Excludes self-employed jobs.
	(45) These figures are aggregates from which agriculture class 0100 (1993 SIC) have been excluded.
	(46) The change from 1997 to 2003 has been rounded to the nearest thousand separately from rounded levels.
	Source:
	1997: Annual Employment Survey, rescaled. 1998–2002: Annual Business Inquiry

Nuclear Plants

Llew Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the effect on tax revenue of the implementation of Statutory Instruments No. 644, of 10 March, in respect of the Thorp nuclear reprocessing plant and the Sellafield Mox plant, over the full period of the operation of those plants.

Dawn Primarolo: It is not expected that any tax will be lost to the Exchequer. Statutory Instrument 2005/644 is expected to protect tax revenues as the activities it deals with are likely to be loss-making for tax purposes. The background to this and the purpose of the legislation was set out in more detail in the explanatory notes to Section 27 of the Energy Act 2004.

Pension Funds

Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to change the limits on the commutation of small pension funds into lump sums.

Stephen Timms: From 6 April 2006 there will be a facility for pension scheme members to commute trivial pensions and take the pension as a lump sum, where pension benefits have a total capital value of less than 1 per cent. of the lifetime allowance. The lifetime allowance will be £1.5 million at its introduction in April 2006, rising to £1.8 million by 2010. So, at the introduction of the simplified tax regime, the trivial commutation threshold will be £15,000. People in this position will be able to choose a year falling between their 60th and 75th birthdays in which all trivial pensions may be commuted.
	The trivial commutation rules ensure that members will not be forced to purchase an annuity with very small amounts of pension savings which could prove to be uneconomic and disproportionately bureaucratic for both schemes and members.
	The rules are the result of extensive consultation prior to legislation. As part of this consultation the Government published "Simplifying the taxation of pensions: increasing flexibility for all" (December 2002) and "Simplifying the taxation of pensions: the Government's proposals" (December 2003).

Tax Credits

David Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will extend Table 3 on page 30 of "Tax credits: reforming financial support for families" (March 2005) so as to show marginal deduction rates of over 50 per cent. and over 40 per cent. (a) before 1998 and (b) in 2005–06.

Dawn Primarolo: The table is an extension of table 4.3 in "Tax credits: reforming financial support for families", and also of table 4.2 in Budget 2005 (HC 372).
	
		
			 Marginal deduction rate (percentage)  Before budget 1998 2005–06 system of tax and benefits 
		
		
			 Over 100 5,000 0 
			 Over 90 130,000 30,000 
			 Over 80 300,000 165,000 
			 Over 70 740,000 235,000 
			 Over 60 760,000 1,730,000 
			 Over 50 760,000 1,900,000 
			 Over 40 800,000 2,095,000 
		
	
	Figures are cumulative. This table shows marginal deduction rates for working households in receipt of income related benefits or tax credits, where at least one person works 16 hours or more a week, where the head of the household is not disabled, and where higher earnings would lead to reduced benefits or tax credits. They include the marginal effects of income tax and national insurance contributions, and the withdrawal of housing benefit and council tax benefit.
	This analysis does not take into account the way in which the new tax credits will respond to rises in income. The new tax credits only respond to rises in income in the current year of more than £2,500, disregarding the first £2,500 of any rise. This means that recipients will not see their tax credits reduced as soon as their income rises, so reducing the effective marginal deduction in any one year.
	As a result of the Government's reforms, around half a million fewer low-income households now face marginal deduction rates in excess of 70 per cent. than did so in April 1998. The increase in the number of households facing marginal deduction rates of between 40 and 70 per cent. is primarily due to the introduction of tax credits, and more recently the extension of support to workers aged 25 or over without children. The number of heads that face an excess of 70 per cent. has fallen. This is because administrative data suggests a reported fall in the number of families on multiple tapers, i.e. non-disabled persons working more than 16 hours in receipt of tax credits and housing benefit and/or council tax benefit.

Tax Rates (York)

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in (a) the UK, (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and (c) the City of York pay (i) half or more than half of their income tax and (ii) all of their income tax at the 10 pence starting rate.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer my hon. Friend to table 2.1 "Number of individual income taxpayers" on the Inland Revenue website www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/stats/income tax/table2–1.pdf. This table shows that 3.4 million income taxpayers in the UK in 2004–05 pay all of their income tax at the starting rate. 4.7 million UK income taxpayers pay half or more than half of their total income tax liability at the starting rate. These estimates are based upon the Survey of Personal Incomes 2002–03 and are consistent with the pre-Budget report 2004. Estimates consistent with the Budget 2005 will be published on the Inland Revenue website at the end of April 2005.
	I refer the hon. Friend to table 3.11 "Income and tax, by region and country", 3.15 "Total income by parliamentary constituency" and the introductory note on personal incomes on the Inland Revenue website for the available income tax statistics for Yorkshire and the Humber and the City of York. The information can be found at www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/stats/income distribution/table311–0203.pdf, www.inlandrevenue. gov.uk/stats/income distribution/table-3–15.pdf and www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/stats/income distribution/inc-distribution-note.pdf.

Working Tax Credit

Win Griffiths: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the number of families eligible for, but not claiming, working tax credit in (a) Wales, (b) Scotland, (c) Northern Ireland, (d) England and (e) Bridgend; and what plans he has to improve take-up.

Dawn Primarolo: Information on the number of families eligible for, but not claiming working tax credit is not available.
	Estimates of the number of UK families who are entitled to child and working tax credit in 2003–04 will not be published until household survey data have been analysed. Subject to ensuring the data and methodology are sufficiently robust, we expect the analysis to be completed towards the end of 2005–06.
	Estimates of the number of in-work families receiving tax credits in each country and constituency appear in "Child and Working Tax Credit Statistics. Geographical analyses. December 2004." This can be found on the Inland Revenue website at http://www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/menu.htm. The estimates are based on a sample of cases, and are subject to sampling uncertainty.
	For details of the Inland Revenue's work to encourage take-up, I refer the hon. Member to my reply on 24 March 2005, Official Report, columns 949–50W to the hon. Member for Coventry, South (Mr. Cunningham).

General Lighthouse Fund

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost in each year since 2000 was of the provision by the UK General Lighthouse Fund of navigational aids in Irish territorial waters.

David Jamieson: The contribution from the General Lighthouse Fund to the provision of navigational aids in the Republic of Ireland since 2000 is given as follows.
	
		
			  £ million sterling 
		
		
			 2000–01 4.4 
			 2001–02 5.5 
			 2002–03 5.8 
			 2003–04 5.9

Global Road Safety

Lewis Moonie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what action his Department (a) has taken and (b) plans to take in response to UN resolution A/58/L60 on improving global road safety; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what action his Department has taken in response to the World Health Organisation and World Bank report on road traffic injury prevention of April 2004; what plans his Department has to work with road safety organisations towards meeting the report's objectives; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what mechanisms are in place to facilitate co-operation between his Department and the Department for International Development on global road safety issues;
	(4)  what contribution his Department has made to the pursuit of global road safety issues; and if he will make a statement;
	(5)  what action his Department (a) has taken and (b) plans to take in response to UN resolution A/58/L60 on improving global road safety; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: The joint World Health Organisation (WHO) and World Bank "World report on road traffic injury prevention" focused attention on the global impact of road accidents on low and middle income countries. The Department for Transport also welcomes the UN resolution on improving road safety. The resolution noted the recommendations of the World Report and invited the WHO to act as co-ordinator on road safety issues.
	The Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP) was founded in 1999 to increase awareness of road safety and promote reductions in deaths and serious injury resulting from road traffic accidents in developing and transition countries. GRSP is a partnership between businesses and governments and is sponsored by the Department for International Development.
	Department for Transport officials support the activities of WHO in this area and are presently participating in work on child injury prevention. We recognise the problems faced by developing countries and have provided support where we are able, including sponsoring a conference on driver training and testing, held in India in 2002.

Speed Limits

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will require local authorities to make 20 mph the default speed limit outside schools.

David Jamieson: The Department encourages local authorities to introduce 20 mph speed limits and 20 mph zones outside schools wherever appropriate, but recognises that particular circumstances at particular locations may make this inappropriate.

Speed Limits

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will require local authorities to make 30 mph the default speed limit in built-up areas.

David Jamieson: Where built up areas have street lighting—as most do—30 mph is already the default speed limit, and local highway authorities are in any event able to set a 30 mph limit on any road.

Train Services (Leicester)

Parmjit Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many trains between Leicester and London St. Pancras (a) have been cancelled in the last (i) three and (ii) six months and (b) were cancelled in 2004.

Tony McNulty: The cancellation figures are as follows:
	
		
			  From Leicester From London Total 
		
		
			 (a)(i) 48 49 97 
			 (a)(ii) 69 73 142 
			 (b) 176 201 377

Transport Access (Disabled)

Parmjit Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been spent on providing improved access to transport for disabled people on (a) buses and (b) the rail network in (i) England and (ii) Leicester South in each year since 1997.

Charlotte Atkins: Regulations introduced under Part 5 of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) require that all new public service vehicles used on local and scheduled service with a carrying capacity of more than 22 passengers, and all new rail vehicles, have to be accessible to disabled people. In addition, duties under Part 3 of the DDA require service providers to take reasonable steps to provide access to transport infrastructure such as bus and railway stations.
	Prior to July 2000 the Government provided funding to improve access to public transport through the Transport Policies and Programme (TPP) system. Local authorities were allocated funding for individual schemes on an annual basis. This system was replaced by the Local Transport Plan (LTP) process which takes a more strategic approach. Local transport authorities in England outside London produce 5-year LTPs, and report on progress against these plans in Annual Progress Reports (APRs). The first 5-year plans were submitted in 2000. The following table details the funding for bus grant schemes since their introduction in the 1998–99 financial year, allocated nationally and to the Central Leicestershire Local Transport Plan area, which includes Leicester, South. Decisions on how to target funding towards specific projects and initiatives such as those to improve public transport accessibility are made at local level.
	
		Targeted bus grants(48) -- £ million
		
			   Nationally Leicester, South (Central Leicestershire) local authority 
		
		
			 1998–99 43.7 0.63 
			 1999–2000 49.3 0.56 
			 2000–01 53.7 2.18 
			 2001–02 77.3 1.84 
			 2002–03 85.7 0.81 
			 2003–04 88.4 0.92 
			 2004–05 51.0 0.85 
		
	
	(48) Includes Rural Bus Subsidy Grant and both Rural and Urban Bus challenge funding
	On access to the rail network, I announced on the 22 March a £370 million Access for All Fund for improving the accessibility of railway stations. The SRA is currently consulting on their Disability Strategy and the outcome will determine how best to spend this extra money. In addition, by the end of this year more than 4,000 new fully accessible rail vehicles will have been introduced onto the network since 1997 at a cost of £4.2 billion. I note that many of these new trains serve Leicester station.

Zebra Crossings (Safety)

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road traffic accidents occurred on or near zebra crossings in each year since 1997.

David Jamieson: The numbers of recorded injury road accidents which occurred on or near a zebra crossing in each year since 1997 are shown in the following table.
	
		Number of accidents occurring on or near a zebra crossing: GB 1997–2003
		
			  Fatal Serious Slight All 
		
		
			 1997 53 921 5,742 6,716 
			 1998 49 843 5,775 6,667 
			 1999 39 769 5,452 6,260 
			 2000 34 722 5,046 5,802 
			 2001 50 673 4,836 5,559 
			 2002 45 727 4,794 5,566 
			 2003 31 672 4,868 5,571

Housing

Paul Marsden: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many homeless families there were in Shrewsbury and Atcham in each year since 1997.

Yvette Cooper: Information about local authorities' actions under homelessness legislation is collected quarterly and is in respect of households rather than families. The number of households accepted as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need and the number of households in temporary accommodation arranged by local authorities under homelessness legislation as at 31 March of each year in Shrewsbury and Atcham, since 1997, is tabled as follows. Also shown is the number of acceptances, and those in temporary accommodation, as a percentage of all households in Shrewsbury and Atcham.
	After being accepted as homeless, a household will be placed in some form of accommodation. They may be placed in temporary accommodation, until a settled solution becomes available, or they may be given a settled solution straight away depending on the accommodation available to the local authority. As an alternative to temporary accommodation an authority may arrange for a household to remain in their current accommodation (homeless at home), until a settled solution becomes available.
	
		Shrewsbury and Atcham district council
		
			   Acceptances1,2 Households in temporary  accommodation2,3 (as at  31 March) Rough Sleepers(52) 
			  Mid-year household estimates(53) (thousand) Total As a percentage of all households Total As a percentage of all households Total (number of persons) 
		
		
			 1997–98 40 84 0.21 39 0.10 — 
			 1998–99 40 94 0.24 61 0.15 0 
			 1999–2000 41 92 0.22 103 0.25 0 
			 2000–01 41 88 0.21 108 0.26 0 
			 2001–02 40 104 0.26 116 0.29 0 
			 2002–03 41 200 0.49 92 0.22 0 
			 2003–04 41 299 0.73 73 0.18 6 
		
	
	(49) Households eligible under homelessness legislation and found to be unintentionally homeless and in a priority need category. Figures provided are for the financial year (ie April-March).
	(50) ODPM P1E homelessness returns (quarterly).
	(51) Households in accommodation either pending a decision on their homelessness application or awaiting re-allocation of a settled home following acceptance. Excludes those households designated as "homeless at home" that have remained in their existing accommodation and have the same rights to suitable alternative accommodation as those in accommodation arranged by the authority.
	(52) ODPM Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (annual). Data not collected prior to 1998.
	(53) Estimated as at 30 June each year. ODPM.
	Information is also collected, since 1998, on the number of people who sleep rough, that is, those who are literally roofless on a single night. The above table shows number of persons sleeping rough in Shrewsbury and Atcham district, on a single night.
	Quarterly Statistical Releases on statutory homelessness published by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister include information on decisions, and households in temporary accommodation, at local authority level in an associated supplementary table. The latest release, of 14 March, and previous editions are available both in the Library of the House and via the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website.

Housing

Andrew George: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  how much Housing Corporation (a) Approved Development Programme funding and (b) Challenge funding was spent on (i) mixed funded social rented housing, (ii) temporary social rented housing, (iii) Homebuy general market purchase, (iv) Homebuy general new build, (v) mixed funded low cost home ownership for sale, (vi) miscellaneous works to RSL stock, (vii) reimprovements to rented RSL stock, (viii) works only rehabilitation of rented RSL stock, (ix) works only rehabilitation of RSL stock for sale, (x) intermediate rent for key workers, (xi) Homebuy market purchase for key workers, (xii) Homebuy new build for key workers, (xiii) mixed funded sale for key workers and (xiv) Starter Home Initiative in the South West region in each year since 1997–98;
	(2)  how many affordable housing units were built or procured through the Housing Corporation (a) Approved Development Programme and (b) Challenge Fund, broken down by (i) mixed funded social rented housing, (ii) temporary social rented housing. (iii) Homebuy general market purchase, (iv) Homebuy general new build, (v) mixed funded low cost home ownership for sale, (vi) miscellaneous works to RSL stock, (vii) reimprovements to rented RSL stock, (viii) works only rehabilitation of rented RSL stock, (ix) works only rehabilitation of RSL stock for sale, (x) intermediate rent for key workers, (xi) Homebuy market purchase for key workers, (xii) Homebuy new build for key workers, (xiii) mixed funded sale for key workers and (xiv) Starter Home Initiative in each year since 1997–98 in the South West region.

Keith Hill: The information available on the Housing Corporation's Approved Development Programme has been made available in the Library of the House. There has been no Challenge funding available in the South West region.

Housing

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the provision of affordable homes in the Vale of York.

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's recently published Five Year Plan, 'Sustainable Communities: Homes for All' set out our proposals for housing, including expenditure plans for the next two years, in the context of our longer term Sustainable Communities Plan. This takes a co-ordinated approach to the provision of affordable housing, including not only additional financial resources—expenditure of £2 billion in 2007–08, more than double the 1997 level, for new social rented housing and home ownership initiatives, plus more for PFI—as well as changes to the planning system so that it can help authorities deliver more affordable housing. All these policies apply fully to rural areas, where we are committed to addressing housing needs and have already more than doubled the provision of affordable housing in small settlements funded through the Housing Corporation.
	The provision of affordable housing in high demand areas, including rural areas and market towns, is one of the priorities identified in the current Regional Housing Strategy for Yorkshire and the Humber and its accompanying Investment Framework. The Regional Housing Board's current two year investment plan for affordable housing delivered by the Housing Corporation includes 45 dwellings in the Vale of York. The board is also helping to fund the extra care housing scheme at Easingwold, Hambleton district council's Young Single Homeless scheme and affordable housing initiatives in the 'Golden Triangle' high demand, high price area including north Leeds, Harrogate and York. These priorities continue into the board's revised draft strategy, which is currently out for consultation. Sub-regional housing partnerships are currently working on their investment proposals for 2006–08 for submission to the board and subsequent approval by me later this year, and I would expect to see them appropriately reflect the needs of the Vale of York. Recently completed research into 'Rural Housing in the Yorkshire and Humber Region' for the Housing Corporation and the Countryside Agency will help in addressing rural housing needs.
	However, it is important to make full use of all opportunities to provide additional affordable housing where it is needed. There are already good achievements by Vale of York authorities in using the planning system to deliver affordable housing, and I hope that the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's recent changes to Planning Policy Guidance Note 3 will help them to do more. I was also pleased to recently give approval to North Yorkshire county council to implement an affordable housing scheme using their share of the proceeds from the flexibility that we gave local authorities to reduce the council tax discount for second homes. The first phase comprises a proposed county-wide programme with an investment of almost £12 million, including 15 dwellings in the Vale of York.

Africa

Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many permanent staff from his Department are stationed in (a) Sierra Leone, (b) Nigeria, (c) Angola, (d) Namibia, (e) Malawi, (f) Zambia, (g) Tanzania, (h) Kenya, (i) Uganda and (j) Ethiopia; and what changes have taken place in (i) the deployment of staff and (ii) the levels of expenditure by his Department in these countries in each of the last three years.

Hilary Benn: Numbers of permanent staff by country were as follows. Figures include UK-based staff, staff appointed in country and some permanent staff seconded to other organisations in country.
	
		
			  2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Angola — 3 3 
			 Ethiopia (54)17 (54)36 46 
			 Kenya 43.5 43.5 42.75 
			 Malawi 24 42 59 
			 Namibia 4 4 2 
			 Nigeria 71 71 81 
			 Sierra Leone (54)8.5 (54)10.25 (54)11.75 
			 Tanzania 36 44 48 
			 Uganda 44 46 52 
			 Zambia (54)2 34 34 
		
	
	(54) For these years, DFID staff were based in British embassies/high commissions, preceding the opening of DFID offices.
	Total DFID spending by country, for the last three completed financial years, was as follows.
	
		£ million
		
			  2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Angola 3.6 9.9 7.8 
			 Ethiopia 11.8 42.7 43.3 
			 Kenya 27.5 44.5 25.8 
			 Malawi 46.6 52.3 54.8 
			 Namibia 2.0 2.2 1.4 
			 Nigeria 20.9 30.5 31.2 
			 Sierra Leone 37.1 32.4 34.3 
			 Tanzania 65.0 95.9 80.5 
			 Uganda 68.5 54.9 56.0 
			 Zambia 44.8 41.4 28.4

Democratic Republic of Congo

Bob Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps the Government is taking to assist rural populations living in and depending on the forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo to obtain security of land tenure.

Hilary Benn: The Department for International Development (DFID) is not currently providing direct support to rural populations living in the forest areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). However natural resource management has been identified in our country engagement plan as one of the key areas of possible future UK support to the DRC. We are developing a DRC natural resources strategy, due later this year, which will indicate the nature of any likely support, including the forestry sector amongst others. DFID also keeps in regular touch with the World Bank and non-governmental organisations on forestry issues in the DRC.
	DFID is also funding a review of the management of natural resource extraction in the DRC, to help in the establishment of more transparent means of natural resource management in the future for the benefit of the Congolese people.

Rwanda

Oona King: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the extent to which Rwanda's new land policy safeguards the livelihoods of the rural poor; what assessment he has made of its likely impact on security in the country; and if he will make a statement on how the UK will engage with Rwanda on the issue of land reform.

Hilary Benn: Rwanda is the most densely populated country in Africa with 90 per cent. of a population of over 8 million people earning their livelihoods from the land. Most families operate at the level of subsistence agriculture, producing almost entirely for their own consumption. Tenure of some 90 per cent. of the arable land in Rwanda is currently based upon customary rights, with no formal written title. Rwanda faces the challenge of trying to promote economic growth and reduce poverty in an economy largely dependent upon unsustainable, low productivity subsistence agriculture, while at the same time addressing a historical legacy of land disputes in the interests of national reconciliation.
	Rwanda's Draft National Land Policy (June 2004) has the overall objective
	"to establish a land tenure system that guarantees tenure security for all Rwandans and give guidance to the necessary land reforms with a view to good management and rational use of national land resources"
	Safeguards for the Livelihoods of the Rural Poor
	The draft policy and land law include provisions that contribute to safeguarding the livelihoods of the poor in the following areas:
	Prohibition of any discrimination in land ownership or rights
	Preservation of existing land rights
	Limiting to an absence of 10 years on the right of refugees to claim back previously owned land now occupied by others
	Assertion that water is a public good to which everybody has access
	Provision of a land reserve, for allocation to landless people
	Local consultation for all proposed schemes for plot consolidation and compensation either financially or in kind where appropriate
	Administration of land belonging to genocide orphans under 18 years of age on their behalf until they come of age, and assistance to vulnerable orphans above 18 and widows in developing their land.
	However, the draft land law gives the government and its officials considerable administrative powers in order to achieve its policy objectives. Protecting the livelihoods of the rural poor will depend upon the way in which these powers are exercised.
	Likely impact upon security in Rwanda
	A lack of consistent policy and an absence of procedure for dealing with land was a contributory factor in the conflict in Rwanda that culminated in the genocide in 1994. The land reforms seek to remedy this and hopefully make an important contribution to achieving long-term peace and security in Rwanda.
	How the UK will engage with Rwanda on the issue of land reform
	DFID has been providing technical assistance to the Ministry of Land in Rwanda since August 2002 and supported the development of the "Strategic Plan for Agricultural Transformation in Rwanda". From this engagement we judge that the Government of Rwanda are sincere in their intentions of taking forward land reform in the best interests of all Rwandan people. The Government have noted that the land reform process will take at least 10 years and that the procedures envisaged in the policy and law will need to be carefully tested before they are implemented across the country.
	DFID's Rwanda programme is planning to provide support to produce a "road map" for the implementation of the land reform proposals. The support will focus on consultation with those affected by the land reform proposals; will test approaches to land reform based upon local priorities and provide the required, structured training for the Ministry of Land and other key Government of Rwanda staff involved in land reform.

Penalties (Contractors)

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on his Department's policy on operating penalties on contractors who fail to deliver on contracts due to (a) quality and (b) time.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence does not include penalty clauses in its contracts as they are not generally enforceable under English or Scottish law.
	Most Ministry of Defence contracts contain express quality provisions and performance criteria, occasionally associated with differential pricing or liquidated damages. The Ministry of Defence has the right to reject goods and services which do not conform to the contract specification and to require the supply of satisfactory replacements. This right is exercised in appropriate circumstances and the failure to achieve a satisfactory supply within the contracted time scales could lead to invoking liquidated damages provisions or termination of the contract.

Arms Exports (Chile)

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list, for each year since 1997, the total number of arms export contracts agreed to Chile.

Nigel Griffiths: The Department is responsible for holding information on the licences we have issued, not on numbers of arms export contracts agreed. Since 1997 the Government have published an Annual Report on strategic export controls, and since 2004 also a Quarterly Report on strategic export controls, containing information on the total number of export licences issued to each destination and the goods summaries covered by those licences. The Annual Reports are available from the Libraries of the House, and the Quarterly Reports from the DTI Export Control Organisation website, www.dti.gov.uk/export. control.

Businesses (Wimbledon)

Roger Casale: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many new businesses have started up in Wimbledon since 1997.

Nigel Griffiths: Barclays Bank's latest survey of business creation includes non-VAT registered firms and shows that there were 453,000 business start-ups in England and Wales in 2004, the highest number since the survey started in 1988.
	Barclays data show that there were 2,000 business start-ups in the London borough of Merton (which contains the constituency of Wimbledon) in 2003 and a further 2,500 in 2004. Data for London boroughs are not available for before 2003.
	DTI figures based solely on VAT registrations for Wimbledon parliamentary constituency and the London borough of Merton are shown in the table for 1997 to 2003. Data for 2004 will be available in autumn 2005.
	
		VAT registrations
		
			  Wimbledon Merton 
		
		
			 1997 530 750 
			 1998 625 840 
			 1999 510 730 
			 2000 580 765 
			 2001 485 680 
			 2002 455 640 
			 2003 480 710 
		
	
	Source: (except for Wimbledon parliamentary constituency):
	Business Start-ups and Closures: VAT Registrations and De-registrations 1994–2003,
	Small Business Service, available from the Library of the House and also at: http://www.sbs.gov.uk/analytical/statistics/vatstats.php
	VAT registrations do not capture all start-up activity. Businesses are unlikely to be registered if they fall below the compulsory VAT threshold, which has risen in each year since 1997. Only 1.8 million out of four million enterprises were registered for VAT at the start of 2003.

Catering Costs

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much has been spent on (a) entertainment lunches involving civil servants and guests and (b) working lunches, in each year since 1997.

Patricia Hewitt: The information on the amount spent on entertainment lunches involving civil servants and working lunches is not available as requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Budget

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the most recent figures are for her Department's budget (a) in 2005–06 and (b) in each year for which projections have been made, broken down by budget sub-head.

Patricia Hewitt: The DTI Business Plan 2005–08 published in February 2005 sets out the Department's budget for the period 2005 to 2008 broken down by business plan objective.
	An electronic version of the Business Plan can be found at: http://www.dti.gov.uk/about/dti-businessplan-2004–08.pdf

Energy

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what research has been funded by the Government on improving access to (a) the renewables obligation, (b) climate change levy exemption certificates and (c) renewables energy guarantees of origin for domestic consumers installing qualifying microgeneration technologies; what recommendations have been made from this work; what steps she is taking in the context of the current review of the renewables obligation to implement those recommendations; what additional work she intends to undertake further to improve access; and if she will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: Through the Distributed Generation Coordinating Group (DGCG), the Government have funded a report by Jade Energy on the accrual of renewables obligation certificates (ROCs), levy exemption certificates (LECs) and renewable energy guarantees of origin (REGOs). The report, which was published in February 2005, addresses concerns on the part of the microgeneration community (which includes domestic consumers who install microgeneration technologies) about access to the benefits of these schemes. The report makes recommendations on bulk processing of applications, meter data provision and "sell and buy back" contracts as well as recommendations to streamline the schemes and make them more user-friendly. Jade Energy's report is available on the DGCG's website (www.distributed-generation. gov.uk).
	In the current review of the renewables obligation, the preliminary consultation addresses the issue of administrative arrangements for small generators and seeks views on a number of proposals with the potential to benefit microgenerators. In developing the Government's strategy on microgeneration, I will be assessing the usefulness of various measures including improving access to ROCs, LECs and REGOs, taking account of, among other things, the Jade Energy report.

Export Control Organisation

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will place in the Library copies of written representations (a) made by her Department to and (b) received by her Department from (i) representatives from industry and (ii) others relating to the future of the Export Control Organisation and private sector involvement in delivering some of that organisation's services.

Nigel Griffiths: holding answer 14 March 2005
	The DTI has carried out no public consultation on the matter. I have received two written representations, (which are commercially sensitive.)

Milford Haven (Liquefied Natural Gas Development)

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what discussions she had with (a) the Health and Safety Executive, (b) Pembrokeshire National Park Authority, (c) Exxon Mobil and Petroplus, (d) the Department for Transport and (e) the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister concerning risk assessments for the liquid natural gas developments at Milford Haven prior to October 2004; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what discussions she had with Pembrokeshire county council on whether the liquid natural gas (LNG) tanker should be included in the risk assessment for the LNG developments in Milford Haven prior to October 2004; and if she will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: Risk assessment for the LNG developments at Milford Haven does not fall within the planning vires of the Department of Trade and Industry. Hence I am told prior to October 2004, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has had no direct contact nor discussions with the organisations mentioned concerning risk assessment either with regard to LNG tankers, or any other part of the LNG developments at Milford Haven.

Minimum Wage (Leicester)

Parmjit Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many businesses were found to be employing workers for less than the minimum wage in (a) Leicester and (b) England, in each year since the minimum wage was introduced; and how many (i) were fined and (ii) were forced to cease trading.

Stephen Timms: I have been asked to reply.
	The Inland Revenue did not start recording the information requested until April 2000.
	The number of cases identified by NMW teams based in England where non compliance of minimum wage was identified:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1 April 2000 to 31 March 2001 1,505 
			 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002 1,345 
			 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003 1,476 
			 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004 1,660 
			 1 April 2004 to date 1,153 
		
	
	For these cases a total of 55 Penalty notices have been issued throughout this period.
	A penalty notice may be issued where an employer fails to comply with an enforcement notice.
	The Leicester NMW team was formed in April 2002 and the number of cases identified where non compliance of NMW was identified is as follows.
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003 38 
			 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004 83 
			 1 April 2004 to date 50 
		
	
	The Leicester team have not issued any penalty notices to date.
	We do not hold information on the number of employers who ceased trading.

Solar Photovoltaics

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  whether funding allocations for domestic and other small-scale solar photovoltaic installations under her Department's Major Demonstration Programme will continue until August;
	(2)  what steps her Department is taking to ensure that funding allocations for domestic solar photovoltaic installations under her Department's Major Demonstration Programme will continue from summer 2005.

Mike O'Brien: I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to her previously on 14 March 2005, Official Report, column 76W.

World Intellectual Property Organisation

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she is taking to support the formulation by the World Intellectual Property Organisation of (a) a development agenda and (b) measures to promote the transfer across the jurisdictions of material in formats accessible to disabled people created under copyright exceptions in national legislation.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Government, together with its European partners, are playing a positive role in supporting WIPO's work on the development-related aspects of IP. Our efforts build on commitments given in our response to the 2002 report on the subject by the Commission on Intellectual Property Rights. Specifically, the Patent Office is engaged in making and discussing proposals with WIPO officials, developed and developing countries aiming towards an IP system which enables developing countries to make best use of their innovative and creative activity so as to achieve social and economic progress. We must also ensure that the legitimate interests of those holding intellectual property are properly protected to facilitate wider international investment in developing countries.
	In November 2004, the WIPO Standing Committee on copyright and related rights considered a proposal by Chile that the committee should address the subject of exceptions to rights for the purposes of education, libraries and disabled persons. A constructive exchange resulted in full support from those present, including the United Kingdom, for further discussion at the committee's next session planned for later this year.

Iraq

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Solicitor-General pursuant to her answer of 8 March 2005, Official Report, column 1639W, on Iraq (legal advice), if she will publish the assistance furnished by Professor Christopher Greenwood, QC, in preparation of the Attorney-General's statement to Parliament of 17 March 2003.

Harriet Harman: The assistance provided by Professor Greenwood in relation to the preparation of the Attorney-General's written answer of 17 March 2003 was given at a meeting with the Attorney-General on 16 March 2003, as described in a written answer given by the Attorney-General on 28 February 2005, Official Report, House of Lords, column WA1.

Iraq War (Legal Advice)

Llew Smith: To ask the Solicitor-General if she will list each legal authority consulted by the Attorney-General in the preparation of his opinion on the legality of taking military action against Iraq in March 2003.

Harriet Harman: No. The information requested relates to the provision of advice by the Law Officers and is not disclosed.

Iraq War (Legal Advice)

Llew Smith: To ask the Solicitor General what criteria were used in deciding to engage Professor Christopher Greenwood as an adviser on considering the legality of military action against Iraq in 2003.

Harriet Harman: As my right hon. Friend the Attorney General said in reply to Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer on 21 March 2005, Official Report, column WA3, and as I said in my reply to the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent on 8 March 2005, Official Report, column 1639W, Professor Greenwood was not instructed to advise on whether the war in Iraq would be lawful.
	The answer given by my right hon. Friend the Attorney General on 21 March set out the fees paid to Professor Greenwood for the assistance he has provided between March 2003 and March 2005 in relation to a variety of different legal issues arising from the Iraq conflict. Christopher Greenwood QC was instructed in relation to these issues because he is a highly regarded professor of international law and advocate who has advised the Government on issues of international law on many occasions, including in relation to cases in both domestic and international courts.

Iraq War (Legal Advice)

Llew Smith: To ask the Solicitor-General what meetings (a) she and (b) the Attorney-General held with (i) Ministers, (ii) Government special advisers, (iii) external contracted advisers and (iv) officials of foreign Governments between 7 March and 17 March 2003, in respect of the preparation of the Attorney-General's legal advice on military action against Iraq.

Harriet Harman: Neither the Solicitor-General nor the Attorney-General held any meetings with Ministers, Government special advisers, external contracted advisers or officials of foreign Governments between 7 March 2003 and 17 March 2003 for the purpose of preparing the Attorney-General's legal advice on military action against Iraq.

Ministerial Visits

Llew Smith: To ask the Solicitor General which departments of the United States Administration were visited by the Attorney General during his visit to Washington in February 2003; and what the purpose of each meeting was.

Harriet Harman: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 24 March 2003, Official Report, column 21W, and the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Hampstead and Highgate on 30 November 2004, Official Report, column 48W.

Court of Appeal (Criminal Division)

Ross Cranston: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment he has made of the level of successful appeals against convictions to the Court of Appeal Criminal Division between 2000 and 2004, with particular reference to the implications for the funding of the Criminal Defence Service; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: Between 2000 and 2004, in those applications where leave to appeal had been granted, on average 33 per cent. of appeals against conviction were successful. During the same period the overall annual spend from the Criminal Defence Service (CDS) Budget in the Court of Appeal Criminal Division varied between 5 million and 10 million. In the context of a current annual CDS Budget of approximately 1 billion, it is not considered that total spend in the Court of Appeal is excessive, nor that it threatens delivery of other CDS priorities.

Freedom of Information

Llew Smith: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what steps have been taken to disseminate information on best practice in the application of freedom of information guidance to Government Departments.

David Lammy: My Department has provided support to Freedom of Information (FOI) practitioners in Government Departments through the FOI Practitioners Group forum as well as through the e-forum website. The Practitioners Group has provided a useful forum to discuss in depth the practical impact of FOI and the application of the suite of guidance issued by my Department on 26 October 2004. To provide more in-depth support on particular issues facing Government Departments, my Department has issued working assumptions on the application of exemptions to particular classes of information. The Access to Information Central Clearing House provides daily support to all Whitehall departments. My Department also ran training seminars for all Whitehall decision makers prior to January 1.

Chile

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the Government of Chile's adherence to end user certificates in respect of arms exports from the UK.

Denis MacShane: We believe that the Government of Chile issues end user certificates in respect of arms exports in good faith and that they take appropriate steps to safeguard UK-origin defence equipment. The UK Government undertake monitoring in the recipient country of arms supplied by UK manufacturers when we believe that this would genuinely help to minimise the risk of diversion and where such monitoring is practical. In addition, UK overseas Posts have standing instructions to report any misuse of UK-origin defence equipment. Evidence of misuse would be taken into account when the Government assess any subsequent licence applications for the end-user and we may also, if appropriate, revoke related licences.

EU Constitution

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Courts of the United Kingdom will be bound by the terms of the Charter of Fundamental Rights if the proposed Constitution for the European Union is adopted.

Denis MacShane: The Charter of Fundamental Rights as set out in part 2 of the EU Constitutional Treaty will become part of UK treaty law by virtue of the EU Bill. The Charter binds only the EU's own institutions, and binds member states only when they are implementing EU law.

European Legislation

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many (a) directives and (b) regulations of the European (i) Communities and (ii) Union are in force; and how many have come into force since 1 May 1997.

Denis MacShane: Information relating to the number of European Community and European Union directives and regulations currently in force, and those which have entered into force since 1 May 1997, is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The Government welcomes the Commission's recent Communication 'Better Regulation for Growth and Jobs', which promises further work on assessing the impact of new measures and on simplifying existing legislation.
	My hon. Friend may also wish to consult Standard Note SN/IA/2888 in the Library of the House which gives details of the number of measures adopted and the number which have been repealed or have expired in any given year.

G8 Summit

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the cost to public funds of (a) completed and (b) planned refurbishment and redecoration of (i) buildings and (ii) sites associated with the forthcoming G8 summit; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: In preparation for the G8 Summit in July, some refurbishment work and building of temporary structures will be necessary, but the work has not yet started and the cost has not yet been finalised.

Iraq

Tam Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received concerning further steps to safeguard the archaeological heritage of Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The Government take very seriously the need to respect Iraq's cultural heritage. As United Nations Security Council Resolution 1546 (June 2004) stressed, all parties need to respect and protect Iraq's archaeological, historical, cultural, and religious heritage.
	Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials are in regular contact with the Iraqi Ministry of Culture. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Tessa Jowell) has spoken with the Iraqi Minister of Culture and is kept closely informed of key cultural issues in Iraq. At the Iraqi Ministry's request we helped facilitate a British Museum visit to Babylon in December 2004.
	The Government are currently funding three Iraqi interns to receive training on site management techniques and museology, based at the British Museum. We continue to look at ways of supporting the museum's involvement in Iraq.

Iraq

Tam Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will authorise Mrs. Elizabeth Wilmshurst to give a public account of her arguments and her reasoning on the legality of war in Iraq.

Jack Straw: Elizabeth Wilmshurst is under continuing obligations by virtue of the Official Secrets Acts and her professional position. It would not be appropriate to relieve her of these obligations.

Irish Lights

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Irish Government about payments from the UK General Lighthouse Fund for the provision of navigational aids in Irish territorial waters; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has had no contact with the Irish Government on this issue. However, Her Majesty's Ambassador to Ireland raised this issue with the Secretary-General of the Irish Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources on 17 June 2004. Officials at the Department of Transport have recently discussed with the Irish Government the principle of a review of the light dues system including the 1985 agreement. The Irish Government has indicated that it is willing for such a review to take place.

Non-proliferation Treaty Review Conference

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government are taking to encourage Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty signatory states to sign and ratify additional protocols; and whether it is his policy that adherence to additional protocols should be set as the standard for verifying compliance with the Treaty.

Denis MacShane: The Government uses every opportunity bilaterally and multilaterally to encourage universal acceptance of the International Atomic Energy Agency Additional Protocols (AP) and for recognition that, together with the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement, the AP is now the nuclear verification standard. We would like to see the AP accepted as a future condition of supply of sensitive nuclear materials.

Uganda

Tony Colman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the People's Redemption Army (PRA) in Uganda was formed; what installations the PRA has attacked; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Chris Mullin) gave on 9 March 2005, Official Report, column 1896W to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock).

United Nations (Secretary-General's Report)

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what response the Government will make to Chapter three of the Secretary-General of the United Nations' Report, In Larger Freedom: Towards Development, Security and Human Rights For All.

Bill Rammell: We have warmly welcomed the publication of the Secretary General's report issued on 21 March In Larger Freedom, and the bold reform proposals it makes. It is consistent with UK priorities for the Millennium Review Summit in September.
	We are engaging actively with partners and with the UN on implementation of the report, including on many issues highlighted in Chapter III: Freedom from fear. We want to encourage agreement on a substantial package of UN reforms, including on the proposed Peacebuilding Commission and on strengthening the UN's response to the threat of terrorism.
	We have also embarked on a public consultation exercise throughout the UK with the UN Association, to ensure that members of the public and civil society are given the opportunity of feeding in their views.

Zimbabwe

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports his Department has received concerning the fundraising mission to the UK earlier in 2005 of Dr. Ghulam Adam from Zimbabwe; what action his Department has taken to ensure there has been no breach of the European Union's restrictive measures against Zimbabwe; and what action can be taken against individuals who may have donated money in contravention of the EU restrictions.

Jack Straw: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office received uncorroborated reports earlier this year that Dr. Adam had previously been in the UK conducting fund-raising for ZANU-PF. Fund-raising for a political party is not in itself a breach of EU sanctions on Zimbabwe. These sanctions provide that
	'no funds or economic resources shall be made available directly or indirectly to or for the benefit of natural or legal persons, entities or bodies listed',
	a list which includes individual leading members of the Zimbabwean regime and of ZANU-PF but not the party itself. An offence would therefore have been committed only if the object or effect of the fund-raising was to give funds directly or indirectly to persons subject to the sanctions, and we have not received actionable evidence to that effect. We refer all credible allegations that the EU sanctions may have been broken to the relevant UK authorities. Those responsible for breaching sanctions are liable for prosecution.

Appointments Commission

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when he expects an evaluation of the effectiveness of the Appointments Commission to be initiated;
	(2)  what checks on declaration of interests the Department of Health undertakes alongside those of the Appointments Commission.

Rosie Winterton: The national health service Appointments Commission was reviewed last year as part of the Department's review of its arm's-length bodies. The review recommended a change of status to executive non-departmental-public-body and an extended remit.
	As part of the current governance arrangements for the NHS Appointments Commission, the Department formally reviews progress in meeting annual business plan targets bi-annually. The Appointments Commission is also subject to regular audit by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments.
	The Department does not undertake additional checks on declarations of interest. The Secretary of State has delegated the majority of his appointments functions to the NHS Appointments Commission.

Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance

Bob Laxton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will assess the extent to which the standards set by the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance and included in his Department's publication Supporting People with Long Term Conditions, are achieved in the NHS.

John Hutton: The Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance's standards for care for people with back pain were referenced in the Department's publication Supporting People with Long Term Conditions as an example of best practice.
	Standards for Better Health, published in July 2004, sets out the national standards for national health service patients to receive effective treatment and care that conforms to nationally agreed best practice.
	In line with Shifting the Balance of Power, it is the responsibility of the NHS locally to manage the delivery of these standards with the independent Healthcare Commission responsible for assessing and inspecting health care, taking into account Standards for Better Health.

Children's National Service Framework

Roger Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what structures are in place to monitor the implementation of the children's national service framework.

Stephen Ladyman: The national service framework (NSF) is a key component of the Government's overall programme, Every Child Matters: Change for Children, which aims to improve outcomes for children, including health outcomes. Supporting Local Delivery, the delivery strategy for the NSF, described how progress would be measured. This will include internal evaluation using indicators which are under development, performance management by strategic health authorities and the inspection process. The inspectorates will be responsible for measuring progress against the NSF, to judge the contribution of services to improving these outcomes. Commencing in September this year, Ofsted, the Healthcare Commission and the Commission for Social Care Inspection will conduct joint area reviews of children's services to assess the contribution of local services to improving outcomes for children and young people.
	Assessment of progress against the NSF in the national health service specifically is the responsibility of the Healthcare Commission, which has recently completed an extensive public consultation on a new system of assessing and performance rating NHS trusts in 200506.

Children's National Service Framework

Roger Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how he plans to support primary care trusts in setting local delivery targets for the Children's National Service Framework.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department is keen to encourage maximum flexibility in the setting of local targets, to ensure that they are appropriate to the needs of local communities. The Department has set out six principles for local target setting for the national health service and social care as part of its planning guidance, National Standards, Local Action.
	Primary care trusts must agree appropriate local targets, in line with the six principles, with their strategic health authority, which is responsible for offering support throughout the planning process. In providing the context for these principles, the guidance states that organisations will need to be guided by the evidence set out in national service frameworks.

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will increase funding available for research into developing a therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The main agency through which the Government supports medical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council (MRC). The MRC is an independent body, which receives its grant-in-aid from the Office of Science and Technology, part of the Department of Trade and Industry.

Head Lice

Teddy Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on progress in dealing with the prevention and treatment of head lice; and whether there is evidence that the problem is being contained.

Stephen Ladyman: Information on the incidence of head louse infestation is not collected centrally. The Department has no evidence that the problem is not being contained. Advice on tackling head louse infestation has been issued by the Department. Assistance is also available from the primary health care team, which includes health visitors, school nurses, general practitioners and community pharmacists. The Department also funds a voluntary group, Community Hygiene Concern, which promotes the Bug Busting approach to controlling infestation.

Mental Health

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his Answer of 9 March 2005, Official Report, columns 190910W, on mental health, what assessment he has made of the reasons for parts of the country being slow to use atypical antipsychotics; and what action he is taking to increase their take-up.

Rosie Winterton: No evaluation has been made of the reasons as to why parts of the country may be slow to use atypical antipsychotics. However, the Department will continue to monitor prescribing trends of all antipsychotic drugs.

NHS Charges

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of (a) providing free sight tests for all, (b) meeting the cost of all prescription charges and (c) meeting the cost of all charges for dental care; and what estimate has been made of the additional cost to the NHS of meeting the charges only for those currently ineligible in each case.

Rosie Winterton: The cost of extending eligibility for free national health service sight tests to all those who currently pay privately for sight tests is estimated at about 90 million a year in England, based on the 200405 fee rate of 17.82 per test payable to optometrists, and assuming no change in the take up rate for sight tests.
	Income from prescription charges is expected to amount to 452 million in England in 200506. If all prescriptions were provided free of charge that income would be lost. There would also be an unquantifiable, additional cost to the drugs bill.
	The cost of providing free NHS dental care to all those patients who currently pay dental charges is estimated at about 500 million a year in England, based on the levels of NHS dental care provided in 200304.

NHS Personnel (Ethnicity)

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the ethnic composition of NHS personnel is broken down into the categories of the Census for (a) doctors, (b) consultants, (c) general practitioners excluding retainers, registrars and locums, (d) nurses, (e) midwives, (f) managers and senior managers, (g) other and (h) all NHS personnel.

John Hutton: Information on the ethnicity of general practitioners and practice staff is not collected centrally.
	Information on the ethnic composition of all other national health service personnel is shown in the table.
	
		Hospital, Public Health Medicine and Community Health Services (HCHS): Medical and dental staff 1, and Non-medical staff 2 by ethnicity(58) -- England as at 30 September 2004Number (headcount)
		
			  All HCHS staff HCHS medical and dental staff 1 of which: HCHS Consultant All non-medical staff 2 of which: Professionally qualified clinical staff total Qualified nurses of which: Midwives 
		
		
			 All staff 1,184,748 82,951 30,650 1,101,797 521,526 375,371 24,844 
			 2001 Population Census Ethnic Group Categories 
			 All 2001 Ethnic Groups 1,118,641 74,677 25,635 1,043,964 493,353 354,859 22,759 
			 White 851,703 43,692 19,630 808,011 365,689 244,964 17,315 
			 Black or Black British 46,933 2,569 605 44,364 23,738 21,099 1,585 
			 Asian or Asian British 61,441 20,384 3,529 41,057 24,383 19,066 340 
			 Mixed 9,331 1,333 274 7,998 4,026 3,021 141 
			 Chinese 5,510 1,437 332 4,073 3,020 2,411 295 
			 Any Other Ethnic Group 19,976 3,636 953 16,340 10,918 9,580 187 
			 Not Stated 123,747 1,626 312 122,121 61,579 54,718 2,896 
			 Earlier Ethnic Group Categories(58) 
			 All Earlier Ethnic Groups 66,107 8,274 5,01 5 ; 57,833 28,173 20,512 2,085 
			 White 55,956 6,005 4,131 49,951 23,883 17,503 1,815 
			 Black 2,227 375 169 1,852 1,040 893 84 
			 Asian 2,218 1,347 483 871 504 337 27 
			 Any Other Ethnic Group 1,421 499 230 922 671 600 18 
			 Not Stated 4,285 48 2 4,237 2,075 1,179 141 
		
	
	
		
			  Qualified STT total Qualified AHPs Qualified healthcare scientists Other qualified STT Qualified ambulance staff Support to clinical staff Total Support to doctors and nurses Support to STT 
		
		
			 All staff 128,883 58,959 28,242 41,682 17,272 368,285 303,630 55,025 
			 2001 Population Census Ethnic Group Categories 
			 All 2001 Ethnic Groups 121,804 56,077 26,237 39,490 16,690 349,151 287,449 52,157 
			 White 105,683 50,078 22,043 33,562 15,042 270,262 216,470 45,121 
			 Black or Black British 2,567 853 755 959 72 14,192 12,567 1,525 
			 Asian or Asian British 5,223 1,740 1,535 1,948 94 9,392 7,327 1,975 
			 Mixed 916 374 207 335 89 2,442 1,952 411 
			 Chinese 605 161 166 278 4 515 373 130 
			 Any Other Ethnic Group 1,306 376 376 554 32 3,389 2,909 470 
			 Not Stated 5,504 2,495 1,155 1,854 1,357 48,959 45,851 2,525 
			  
			 Earlier Ethnic Group Categories(58) 
			 All Earlier Ethnic Groups 7,079 2,882 2,005 2,192 582 19,134 16,181 2,868 
			 White 6,204 2,614 1,676 1,914 176 16,870 14,266 2,559 
			 Black 145 42 57 46 2 561 506 55 
			 Asian 167 49 68 50  222 191 31 
			 Any Other Ethnic Group 71 25 23 23  163 149 14 
			 Not Stated 492 152 181 159 404 1,318 1,069 209 
		
	
	
		
			  Support to ambulance staff NHS infrastructure support Total Central functions Hotel property ad estate staff Managers and senior managers Other and unknown total 
		
		
			 All staff 9,630 211,489 99,831 73,932 37,726 497 
			 2001 Population Census Ethnic Group Categories 
			 All 2001 Ethnic Groups 9,545 200,995 96,317 68,407 36,271 465 
			 White 8,671 171,666 82,512 57,570 31,584 394 
			 Black or Black British 100 6,433 2,829 2,813 791 1 
			 Asian or Asian British 90 7,279 4,027 2,370 882 3 
			 Mixed 79 1,518 755 505 258 12 
			 Chinese 12 536 249 186 101 2 
			 Any Other Ethnic Group 10 2,032 831 953 248 1 
			 Not Stated 583 11,531 5,114 4,010 2,407 52 
			
			 Earlier Ethnic Group Categories(58) 
			 All Earlier Ethnic Groups 85 10,494 3,514 5,525 1,455 32 
			 White 45 9,167 3,071 4,852 1,244 31 
			 Black  251 78 141 32  
			 Asian  145 69 57 19  
			 Any Other Ethnic Group  88 35 32 21  
			 Not Stated 40 843 261 443 139 1 
		
	
	(56) Excludes Medical Hospital Practitioners and Medical Clinical Assistants, most of whom are GPs working part time in hospitals.
	(57) In non-medical data, Unknown includes unstated and unrecorded ethnic group. The ethnic group of all bank staff is unrecorded.
	(58) From 1 April 2001, newly appointed staff have been asked to classify themselves using the ethnic categories listed in the 2001 population census. Existing staff will be reclassified over time but data returns currently include a mixture of 2001 categories and older information based on 1991 population census categories.
	Source:
	Department of Health medical and dental workforce census
	Department of Health General and Personal Medical Practitioners
	Department of Health non-Medical Workforce Census

Paediatric Continence Services

Roger Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what structures are in place to measure the availability of integrated paediatric continence services in every community;
	(2)  how he expects that the children's national service framework will promote the provision of integrated paediatric continence services in every community.

Stephen Ladyman: The standard for an integrated, community-based paediatric continence service is defined in the children's national service framework (NSF). National health service primary care trusts (PCTs) are expected to ensure that accessible, high quality continence assessment and treatment is provided. This process will be informed by Good Practice in Paediatric Continence Service-Benchmarking in Action 2003. The Department has also set out principles for needs-based local target setting for health and social care as part of its three-year planning guidance, National Standards, Local Action. PCTs must agree appropriate local targets with their strategic health authority, whose responsibility it is to ensure that local health services are of a high quality and are performing well. The guidance states that organisations will need to be guided by the NSFs, the standards of which will be inspected and reviewed by the Healthcare Commission over a 10-year implementation period, for the children's NSF.

Paediatric Continence Services

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what advice has been given to strategic health authorities on supporting the development of integrated paediatric continence services by primary care trusts;
	(2)  what guidance is available to primary care trusts to support the development of integrated paediatric continence services; and whether guidance has been distributed at the local level;
	(3)  what action he will take to promote the provision of integrated paediatric continence services.

Stephen Ladyman: Strategic health authorities (SHAs) and primary care trusts (PCTs) have all received the national service framework for children, young people and maternity services (children's NSF). This promotes the development of integrated, community-based paediatric continence services. It states that service provision should be informed by the NHS Modernisation Agency's 2003 publication Good Practice in Paediatric Continence ServicesBenchmarking in Action, which is available on the clinical governance support group's website at www.cgsupport.nhs.uk/PDFs/articles/Mod Agency Good Practice.pdf.
	The Department has also set out principles for local target setting for the national health service and social care as part of its planning guidance, National Standards, Local Action. This requires PCTs to agree appropriate local targets with their SHA, which has a responsibility to offer support throughout the planning process. National Standards, Local Action states that organisations will need to be guided by the evidence set out in the national service frameworks. In the case of the children's NSF, the Healthcare Commission will inspect and review progress towards achieving the standards over a 10-year implementation period.

Unified Health and Social Care Assessments

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what performance criteria are applicable to the (a) number and (b) type of assessments to be undertaken in the Unified Health and Social Care Assessment Process;
	(2)  how (a) nutrition and (b) malnutrition are included in the assessment domains of the Unified Health and Social Care Assessment Process;
	(3)  what data relating to (a) nutrition and (b) malnutrition his Department will collect within the assessment domains in the Unified Health and Social Care Assessment Process.

John Hutton: The independent Healthcare Commission is responsible for developing the indicators for use in the national health service performance ratings. Details can be found on its website at: www.healthcarecommission. org.uk/indicators 2005/.
	The Commission has recently completed an extensive public consultation on a new system for assessing and performance rating NHS trusts in 200506 and will be making an announcement in due course.
	The independent Commission for Social Care Inspection is responsible for developing the indicators for use in social care assessment. Details can be found on its website at: www.csci.org.uk/council performance/paf/performance indicators.htm.

Pensioners

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of pensioners in Coventry who have not applied for pension credit since its introduction; and what rationale underlay the decision to means-test applicants for pension credit.

Malcolm Wicks: The information is not available in the form requested. As at 31 December 2005, there were 16,215 households (19,615 individuals) in the Coventry local authority area in receipt of pension credit. Information on numbers of households or individuals eligible for pension credit is not available at local authority or constituency level.
	This Government's priority when it came to office was to tackle the legacy of pensioner poverty. We continue to do this by targeting help on today's poorest pensioners and by encouraging all pensioners to receive the benefits they are entitled to. At the same time, the Government believes that empowering individuals to make real and informed choices about working and saving for retirement is fundamental if they are to make sure people get the income in retirement they expect. Pension credit rewards those who have worked hard to provide modest incomes for themselves in retirement. Income-testing of benefits has existed since before and after the creation of the Welfare State in 1948. With the introduction of pension credit, and the ease by which it can be applied for, we have moved away from the stigmatising weekly means tests of the past.

Child Support Agency

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) senior management posts and (b) enforcement officer posts there have been in each of the regional Child Support Agency centres in each of the last seven years.

Chris Pond: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Doug Smith to Mr. Steve Webb, dated 4 April 2005
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) senior management posts and (b) enforcement officer posts there have been in each of the regional Child Support Agency centres in each of the last seven years.
	(a) For the purposes of this response I am regarding 'senior management' as posts filled by members of civil service grades 6 and 7. I am unable to provide a geographical breakdown of senior management posts prior to 2003. From 2003 onwards, the number of senior management posts is as follows:
	
		
			 Regional centre March 2003 March 2004 January 2005 
		
		
			 Midlands 6 5 23 
			 South Eastern 6 6 23 
			 South Western 3 6 23 
			 
			 Scotland and NE England 7 7 12 
			 Wales and NW England 6 5 12 
			 
			 Eastern 1 1 1 
			 Total 29 30 36 
		
	
	We have altered the way senior management figures are reported from January 2005 to reflect recent changes in our organisational structure. 5 of the original business units have been amalgamated to become the Southern and Northern Territories.
	(b) The number of specialist enforcement officer posts is as follows:
	
		
			 Regional centre 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 
		
		
			 Midlands 32 25 9 17 24 34 38 
			 South Eastern 10 12 14 23 30 27 28 
			 Scotland and NE England 22 46 38 45 46 48 46 
			 South Western 37 16 18 24 30 41 43 
			 Wales and NW England 14 13 14 36 33 36 33 
			 Eastern 14 23 14 17 26 52 52 
			 Total 130 136 107 162 189 237 240

Benefit Claimants

Parmjit Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people claimed (a) incapacity benefit and (b) disability allowance in Leicester, South in each year since 1997.

Maria Eagle: The information is in the tables.
	
		Incapacity benefit (IB) and severe disablement allowance (SDA) claimants in the Leicester South parliamentary constituency, at the dates shown -- Number
		
			 As at November IB/SDA IB SDA 
		
		
			 1997 4,900 4,300 600 
			 1998 4,700 4,200 600 
			 1999 4,700 4,200 600 
			 2000 4,900 4,400 500 
			 2001 5,400 4,800 500 
			 2002 5,500 5,000 (62)500 
			 2003 5,300 4,900 MOO 
			 2004 5,000 4,600 (62)500 
		
	
	(62) Are based on very few sample cases and are subject to a high degree of sampling variation.
	Notes:
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
	2. 'Claimant' figures include all incapacity benefit, severe disability allowance and credits only cases.
	Source:
	Information Directorate, 5 percent. Samples.
	
		Disability living allowance claimants in the Leicester South parliamentary constituency, at the dates shown
		
			 As at November Number 
		
		
			 1997 3,500 
			 1998 3,700 
			 1999 3,700 
			 2000 3,900 
			 2001 4,000 
			 2002 4,000 
			 2003 4,300 
			 2004 4,400 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest hundred.
	2. Only disability living Allowance cases in payment are included.
	3. From November 2002, the methodology for producing these figures was changed to allow statistics to be published much sooner. This has resulted in a small increase in the reported caseload. This is because some cases which have actually terminated but have not yet been updated on the computer system are now included.
	Source:
	Information Directorate, 5 percent. Samples.

Guarantee and Savings Credits

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) individuals and (b) households are in receipt of (i) guarantee credit only, (ii) savings credit only and (iii) both guarantee and savings credit.

Malcolm Wicks: The information is given in the following table.
	
		Recipients of pension credit by type, Great Britain, 31 December 2004
		
			  Households Individuals 
		
		
			 All 2,653,175 3,222,700 
			 Guarantee element only 767,985 948,070 
			 Guarantee element and savings  element combined 1,312,945 1,513,045 
			 Savings element only 572,245 761,580 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are based on 100 per cent. Generalised Matching Service (GMS) data. Data taken as at 10 December 2004 have been rated up to give month end figures.
	2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 5.
	3. Individual recipients may include a small number of partners under the age of 60.
	Source:
	Information Directorate, Department for Work and Pensions, 100 per cent. sample.

Incapacity Benefit

Barbara Follett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of the merits of extending mortgage assistance to those on incapacity benefit.

Maria Eagle: The Government believes that homeowners should take responsibility for ensuring that mortgage payments are made when they are unable to work.
	Help with mortgage interest is already available to those on incapacity benefit, who are also entitled to income related benefits. We believe that this is the best way of ensuring assistance is targeted at those who need it most.
	We have no plans to extend this assistance to non income-related benefits.

New Deal

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) over 25s, (b) lone parents, (c) over 50s and (d) young people have participated in the New Deal in (i) Jarrow constituency, (ii) South Tyneside, (iii) the North East and (iv) the UK in each year since its inception.

Jane Kennedy: The information is in the table.
	
		
			  NDYP ND25plus NDLP  ND50plus 
			  Starts Jobs Starts Jobs Starts Jobs ND50plus EC starts (from April 2003) 
		
		
			 Jarrow 
			 1998 590 160 160 20 20 0   
			 1999 420 250 270 40 140 140   
			 2000 280 240 240 50 170 190 50  
			 2001 250 230 290 100 170 140 70  
			 2002 250 180 240 130 190 120 90  
			 2003 260 200 260 180 290 130 20 10 
			 2004 230 210 160 130 460 160  0 
			  
			 South Tyneside 
			 1998 2,680 760 870 80 60 20   
			 1999 1,750 1,050 1,330 220 460 400   
			 2000 1,210 1,040 940 250 550 550 230  
			 2001 1,090 920 1,060 380 670 510 320  
			 2002 1,080 800 1,120 560 820 450 340  
			 2003 1,120 880 980 690 1,080 540 90 210 
			 2004 980 820 760 550 1,620 720  160 
			 North East 
			 1998 16,030 3,810 6,310 450 440 130   
			 1999 12,720 7,750 8,790 1,660 3,290 2,390   
			 2000 9,410 7,710 4,340 1,600 3,210 3,030 1,450  
			 2001 8,120 6,880 5,790 2,300 4,200 3,140 2,290  
			 2002 7,440 5,970 5,480 3,090 5,730 3,650 2,160  
			 2003 7,470 5,870 4,450 3,200 6,880 3,840 450 1,140 
			 2004 6,510 5,450 3,280 2,550 10,620 4,660  950 
			  
			 Great Britain
			 1998 211,570 54,340 77,700 6,640 9,380 2,680   
			 1999 170,060 104,360 121,540 25,870 59,170 34,900   
			 2000 123,160 95,610 67,220 26,200 60,020 48,330 24,830  
			 2001 105,940 78,470 80,380 31,500 70,030 48,470 35,080  
			 2002 105,670 71,180 76,910 41,650 98,070 60,250 31,830  
			 2003 110,750 73,150 71,950 41,770 113,710 56,710 6,300 17,720 
			 2004 104,250 73,720 64,090 40,070 164,830 67,290  16,140 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The new deal for young people started in January 1998; new deal 25 plus started in July 1998; new deal for lone parents started in October 1998; new deal 50 plus started in April 2000.
	2. New deal 50 plus EC starts information gives the number of starts to employment credit up to March 2003.
	3. New deal 50 plus data are the number of people finding jobs from new deal 50 plus from April 2003. No starts information is available for new deal 50 plus from April 2003.
	4. All data are to December 2004.
	5. All figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 and for this reason, components may not necessarily sum to totals.
	6. South Tyneside information is given for the Jobcentre Plus district of Gateshead and South Tyneside.
	7. Information is for Great Britain rather than the UK as the Department's new deals do not operate in Northern Ireland.

Pensions

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people did not receive the full basic State Pension because of their contribution records in the latest year for which figures are available; and by what amount on average their pensions fell short of the basic state level.

Malcolm Wicks: As at 31 March 2004, 3,679,200 people in Great Britain received a basic State Pension at less than the full rate of 77.45 a week because of incomplete contribution records. On average the basic State Pension paid fell short of the full level of the basic State Pension by 27.54.
	Where the basic State Pension is the only source of income, extra help is available in the form of pension credit.
	Notes:
	1. Numbers are taken from a 5 per cent, sample and are therefore subject to a high degree of sampling variation. 2. Numbers are rounded to the nearest hundred. Amounts are rounded to the Nearest penny. 3. A basic State Pension is paid to those who fully or partially satisfy the contribution conditions for a Category A or Category B basic State Pension, either in their own right or, where applicable, on the basis of their late or former spouse's National Insurance contributions. 4. Numbers do not include people entitled to a basic State Pension which is then increased when they meet the conditions for a Category D Pension. 5. The calculation of the average amount of the shortfall excludes those receiving a basic State Pension of 77.45.
	Source:
	IAD Information centre 5 per cent, sample.

Asylum and Immigration

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum claims are outstanding in the UK; and from which countries.

Des Browne: Information on asylum claims outstanding by nationality is unavailable and could be produced only at disproportionate cost by examination of individual case records.
	Information on the number of cases awaiting an initial decision or appeal outcome is published quarterly on the Home Office website at http://www.homeoffice. gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.

Catering Costs

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been spent on (a) entertainment lunches involving civil servants and guests and (b) working lunches, in each year since 1997.

Fiona Mactaggart: Hospitality is classified as the provision of food and drink or entertainment to non-civil servants when it is not strictly necessary for the conduct of public business, but where to do so is nevertheless beneficial to the interests of the Department.
	Working lunches and refreshments are offered as a normal courtesy to visitors or made available to facilitate the efficient management of meetings.
	The total costs of hospitality and working lunches for the Home Office Department since 1997 are given in the table.
	
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Hospitality 37,747 44,415 94,370 108,925 75,808 70,591 89,072 
			 Working lunches 346,685 92,916 457,147 511,610 572,279 727,354 1 ,330,997 
			 Total 386,429 139,329 553,516 622,535 650,088 799,947 1,422,072 
			 Percentage total spend 0.006 0.002 0.007 0.007 0.007 0.008 0.012 
		
	
	The records for hospitality costs do not distinguish between civil servants and guests. The costs for refreshments and working lunches are combined and therefore separate figures cannot be extracted.

Deaths Abroad

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many inquests have been held in the UK regarding violent or suspicious deaths abroad in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Paul Goggins: Statistics on inquests held on those who die overseas are not collected centrally.
	However, I can draw the hon. Member's attention to the figures quoted in Death Certification and Investigation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland: The Report of a Fundamental Review 2003. [Cm 5831] This independent Review commissioned its own one-off research which concluded that, in the previous 12 months, about 550 deaths abroad were the subject of an inquest when the body was returned to the UK.

Departmental Expenditure

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost of travel within the UK for the Department was in each year since 1997; and how much of this was spent on (a) hire cars, (b) helicopter hire, (c) hotel accommodation and (d) subsistence.

Fiona Mactaggart: Home Office rules provide for the reimbursement of extra expenses necessarily incurred in carrying out official duty and in certain other specified circumstances. The overriding principle is that: where no extra expense is incurred no reimbursement is due. Overall expenditure on travel and subsistence is controlled through devolved budgets that enable managers to keep under review both the need for official travel and the economy of the travel arrangements. Managers are required to satisfy themselves that, for instance, regular travel commitments or programmes cannot be curtailed or reorganised, that meetings involving costly travel are really necessary, that the venue is appropriate, that only the necessary numbers of staff attend; and consider the desirability of requiring their staff to declare their forward visit proposals for prior approval. Where staff undertake necessary official travel, managers are required to ensure that they do so by the most efficient and economic means, taking all costs into account.
	Travel costs for the core Home Office have been held centrally only since 1996; totals as follows:
	
		
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Helicopter 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Travel 3,898,126 3,270,766 3,187,174 4,245,879 6,348,417 8,732,248 12,406,053 
			 Hire car 223,585 158,266 228,841 281,549 785,179 1,782,070 1,912,341 
			 Subsistence 5,737,985 1,366,151 1,729,980 3,260,704 3,920,093 5,267,013 6,459,101 
			 Total 9,861,693 4,797,181 5,147,994 7,790,132 11,055,690 15,783,333 20,779,498 
			 Percentage of total spend 0.14% 0.06% 0.06% 0.09% 0.11% 0.15% 0.06% 
		
	
	The marked increases in travel costs since 2001 can largely be attributed to changes in strategy within the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) where increased staff numbers and the need to travel as a result of new policy initiatives to improve IND performance and reductions in unauthorised entry to the UK. Other contributing factors have been related to providing advice to the organisers of the 2002 Football World Cup in Japan and Euro 2004 in Portugal and the creation of new units to support the police reform agenda.
	Hotel accommodation costs and subsistence payments are recorded together against a general subsistence account on the General Ledger. Examination and extraction of hotel elements from T and S claims and the expenses payment system could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Drug-related Arrests

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many arrests have been made for (a) possession and (b) supply of (i) cannabis and (ii) class A drugs in the last two years;
	(2)  how many arrests have been made for (a) possession and (b) supply of (i) cannabis and (ii) class A drugs in London in each month since January 2004.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is not available centrally.
	Information on arrests collected centrally is based on persons arrested for notifiable offences by main offence group only and therefore does not identify individual offences. The data are also only available by police force area and collected on a quarterly basis.

Drugs Crime (Leeds)

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crack houses have been closed down in (a) Leeds and (b) Leeds West in the last 12 months; how many of these were part of Operation Crackdown; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: Data is not centrally collected on a city-by-city basis. The latest national information available on crack house closure orders relates to Government Office regions for the period 20 January to end September 2004, when there were four reported uses of the crack house anti-social behaviour power in the Yorkshire and Humberside region.
	West Yorkshire police are one of 33 forces who are participating in the national enforcement campaign Operation Crackdown. However information requested is not collated regionally or by force but 75 crack houses have been closed by Crackdown forces during the period 12 January to 7 March 2005.

EU Business Applications

Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for the right of establishment in business under EU association agreements submitted by or on behalf of persons who had already arrived in the UK under other immigration categories were received between 1 June 2003 and 30 April 2004, broken down by nationality of the applicant; and how many applications were (a) granted, (b) refused, (c) withdrawn and (d) otherwise disposed of.

Des Browne: According to internal management information and accordingly provisional, between 1 June 2003 and 30 April 2004 there were 18,565 applications for the right of establishment in business under EC Association Agreements received by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate, submitted by or on behalf of persons who had already arrived in the UK under other immigration categories. The table shows this total figure broken down by nationality of the applicant and by the outcome of the case.
	
		
			 Nationality of applicant Total switching(63) cases received 1 June 2003 to 30 April 2004 Granted Refused Withdrawn by applicant Other(64) 
		
		
			 Bulgaria 1,999 1,621 226 57 95 
			 Czech Rep 143 113 3 21 6 
			 Estonia 166 131 7 21 7 
			 Hungary 79 65 1 13 0 
			 Latvia 875 656 78 117 24 
			 Lithuania 4,677 3,715 188 584 190 
			 Poland 8,158 5,823 613 1,608 114 
			 Romania 1,644 1,259 269 24 92 
			 Slovakia 193 167 6 19 1 
			 Slovenia 3 3 0 0 0 
			 Turkey 628 398 61 15 154 
			 Total 18,565 13,951 1,452 2,479 683 
		
	
	(63) The term switching refers to those applicants who were already in the UK in another immigration category, or without valid leave to enter or remain.
	(64) Category of 'other' includes all outcomes possible on the General Casework Information Database apart from granted, refused and withdrawn by applicant. This includes applications received in the specified period against which no outcome is yet recorded, and applications received in the specified period against which an outcome was recorded after 30 September 2004.
	Note:
	Numbers of applications granted, refused, withdrawn by applicant or 'other' relate only to applications received by IND between 1 June 2003 and 30 April 2004.

EU Business Applications

Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has received reports of applications for the right of establishment in business under EU association agreements having been granted in error between 1 June 2003 and 30 April 2004.

Des Browne: None other than the report by Ken Sutton published on 17 June 2004, which confirmed that there was clear evidence that the ECAA category had been exploited and that applications were granted from some individuals who were unlikely to have been able to demonstrate that they could sustain themselves in business.

Knife Crime

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many knife attacks, including those which did not result in homicide, were reported in each year since 1995.

Hazel Blears: The number of offences involving knives is not separated out in the recorded crime statistics. Therefore no information is available on knife offences causing serious or minor injury. The Homicide Index holds details on the number of homicides where the apparent method of killing was the use of a sharp instrument. The available information from 1995 to 200304 is given in the table.
	
		Number of homicides(65)involving the use of a sharp instrument
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1995 243 
			 1996 197 
			 1997 200 
			 199798 202 
			 199899 202 
			 19992000 213 
			 200001 214 
			 200102 261 
			 200203 268 
			 200304 237 
		
	
	(65) As at 22 October 2004; these figures relate to the year in which the police initially recorded the offence as homicide and are subject to revision as cases are dealt with by the police and by the courts, or as further information becomes available.

Migrant Workers

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Department's records identify the top 10 employers of migrant labour. DES

Des Browne: No. The Home Office holds records that can identify the top 10 employers who have applied to take on individuals from outside of the European Economic Area under the work permit scheme and those who use the seasonal agricultural workers scheme. These do not, however, include those employers who employ people from overseas who have permission to work in the UK under other schemes.

Oakington Detention Centre

Adrian Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he proposes to take following the broadcasting of inappropriate and offensive language being used by staff at Oakington detention centre.

Des Browne: holding answer 8 March 2005
	As I announced on 8 March 2005, Official Report, column 94WS, I have asked the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, Stephen Shaw, to carry out an independent inquiry into the allegations contained in the programme.

Police Funding

Brian H Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding has been allocated to the police in each year since 1997.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 7 December 2004
	Government grant to support policing in England and Wales since 1997 is set out in the table.
	
		 million
		
			  Home Office police grant National non-domestic rates1,2 Revenue support grant 1,2 Total other grants(68) Capital grants(69) Total 
		
		
			 199798 3,473 1,035 1,516 - 170 6,194 
			 199899 3,649 1,027 1,525 - 143 6,344 
			 19992000 3,698 1,106 1,541 - 147 6,492 
			 200001 3,823 1,201 1,486 73 143 6,726 
			 200102(70) 3,955 1,214 1,596 229 221 7,215 
			 200203 4,005 1,311 1,504 349 316 7,485 
			 200304 4,288 770 2,055 658 306 8,077 
			 200405 4,380 744 2,222 708 261 8,315 
			 200506 4,574 877 2,244 766 255 8,716 
		
	
	(66) Source: Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and National Assembly for Wales.
	(67) Revenue Support Grant (RSG) includes SSA Reduction Grant and Central Support Protection grant. RSG and NNDR for the City of London Police is provided in respect of all its functions.
	(68) Specific grants since 200001 for targeted programmes.
	(69) Capital grants include Home Office police capital grant, supplementary credit approvals, Air Support, Premises Improvement Fund, Airwave capital and C3i. The figures included substantial capital for Airwave in 200102 (74.3 million), 200203 (101.2 million) and 200203 (75.9 million). Totals up to 200102 include an element for major capital schemes allocated under the Priority Planning List (PPL) scheme.
	(70) The grant figures for 200102 and 200203 are not directly comparable, owing to changes from 200203 in the method of funding the National Crime Squad and the National Criminal Intelligence Service.

Police Funding

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what change there has been in the funding of Staffordshire police since 1997.

Hazel Blears: The information is set out in the table.
	
		 million
		
			  General Government grants(71) Specific grants(72) Capital grant 3 
		
		
			 199798 96.1 0 2.6 
			 200506 113.3 9.1 2.0 
		
	
	(71) Includes Home Office principal police grant, ODPM Revenue Support Grant and redistributed business rates.
	(72) Includes funding from the Crime Fighting Fund, Rural Policing Fund, Basic Command Unit funding, Community Support Officer funding, Neighbourhood Policing Fund, Special Priority Payments DNA Expansion Programme, capital provision (including Supplementary Credit Approvals) and Airwave.
	(73) Capital grant in 199798 includes 1.5 million paid to Staffordshire Police Authority under the then arrangements to provide additional support for a limited number of major capital schemes each year. In addition, the Authority received Supplementary Credit Approvals of 1.6 million in 199798 and 1.2 million in 200506 for grant supported borrowing.

Police Officers (Northumbria)

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers there have been in (a) the South Tyneside Area Command and (b) Northumbria in each year since 1997.

Hazel Blears: The latest figures on police strength by Basic Command Unit were published as supplementary data on the Home Office/Research Development and Statistics website.
	The information requested is given in the table:
	
		
			  Police officers 
			 As at 31 March South Tyneside(74) Northumbria 
		
		
			 1997  3,677 
			 1998  3,769 
			 1999  3,840 
			 2000  3,788 
			 2001  3,857 
			 2002 268 3,929 
			 2003 (75)291 (75)4,018 
			 2004 (75)303 (75)4,061 
		
	
	(74) Figures not available prior to 2002.
	(75) Not comparable with earlier years' dataincludes officers on career breaks and maternity/paternity leave.

Police Recruitment

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to increase diversity in the recruitment of police officers.

Hazel Blears: We have established national recruitment standards with a view to minimising adverse impact on any group. In the Police Reform Act 2002 we removed the requirement for recruits to be citizens of the United Kingdom. We have amended fitness standards to reduce adverse impact on women applicants.
	We have produced materials for forces to use in recruitment campaigns which promote diversity within the police service and we have supported projects in six forces to improve recruitment from ethnic minority communities.
	In the White Paper Building communities, beating crime we announced additional measures including recruitment of people with operationally valuable language skills and recruitment at senior levels.

Serious Organised Crime Agency

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimates he has made of the total running costs of the Serious Organised Crime Agency over (a) the first year and (b) the first 10 years of operation.

Caroline Flint: The costs for the first year of the Serious Organised Crime Agency's (SOCA) operation will be met by transferring the provision which would have otherwise have been made for the National Criminal Intelligence Service and National Crime Squad under SR 2004. These organisations become part of SOCA on 1 April 2006. In addition negotiations are currently taking place with Her Majesty's Customs and Excise as to the funds to accompany the posts to be transferred to SOCA from that Department. A total of approximately 1.6million resource will be transferred from the United Kingdom Immigration Service to cover the posts currently based in the Immigration Service which will transfer to SOCA.
	Additional transition costs to be met from the Home Office SR 2004 settlement have yet to be determined.
	Subsequent funding will be decided under the SR 2006 bidding round.

Braille Books

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many Braille books are available in schools and libraries managed by each Education and Library Board in Northern Ireland; and how much has been spent in each board in each of the last five years to provide books for readers suffering from sight loss.

Barry Gardiner: Education and Library Boards assess and make provision for pupils with special educational needs on an individual basis.
	The Western Education and Library Board has advised that one pupil has required books to be provided in Braille and the cost of Braille books for this pupil is 300. In addition a classroom assistant has prepared Braille materials for the pupil. Materials required for Braille preparation during the past five years have been as follows:
	
		
			   
		
		
			 Braille paper 730 
			 Zytex paper (used for making raised diagrams) 700 
		
	
	Due to the diverse nature of the provision for pupils with sight loss the remaining Education and Library Boards cannot quantify funding levels, since provision is made from a range of funding streams.
	The Education and Library Boards are also responsible for provision of both the Public Library Service and the School Library Service but do not purchase any Braille books, and none is held in stock. However Braille books can be obtained on request from the Royal National Institute for the Blind for users of the service.
	Expenditure by each Education and Library Board on the provision of books and services for readers suffering from sight loss is detailed in the following table.
	
		Total spend on books(76) for blind and visually impaired users in public libraries and in school libraries by ELB by year -- 
		
			  Public libraries School libraries 
		
		
			 BELB   
			 200001 11,635 (77)n/a 
			 200102 11,053 (77)n/a 
			 200203 141,580 (77)n/a 
			 200304 86,560 (77)n/a 
			 200405 31,106 (77)n/a 
			
			 SELB   
			 200001 18,650 10,474 
			 200102 17,970 7,028 
			 200203 21,733 11,406 
			 200304 41,069 10,786 
			 200405 7,839 8,741 
			
			 NEELB   
			 200001 39,097 2,045 
			 200102 (78)36,177 2,791 
			 200203 117,164 3,841 
			 200304 78,967 1,742 
			 200405 38,484 510 
			 SEELB   
			 200001 n/a n/a 
			 200102 n/a n/a 
			 200203 n/a n/a 
			 200304 154,205 5,962 
			 200405 22,258 1,361 
			
			 WELB   
			 200001 11,785 460 
			 200102 22,497 158 
			 200203 44,426 132 
			 200304 143,075 2,065 
			 200405 77,135 4,070 
		
	
	(76) Stock includes:
	Books in large print
	Books on tape/CD
	RNIB talking books.
	National Library for the Blind (Braille Subscriptions)
	(77) Belfast Education and Library Board cannot exclusively identify expenditure on services for the blind and visually impaired in schools.
	(78) Figure includes estimates.

Cross-border Bodies

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the administration costs of (a) the North/South Ministerial Council Joint Secretariat and (b) each of the cross-border bodies have been in each year since their formation; and what the outturn against planned expenditure was in each of these years.

Paul Murphy: The details requested are set out in the following tables:
	
		(a) North/South Ministerial Council Joint Secretariat Annual Administration costs(79)
		
			   
		
		
			 2000 740,502 
			 2001 1,574,270 
			 2002 1,039,693 
			 2003 1,025,410 
			 2004 1,059,278 
		
	
	(79) These figures include Northern and Southern contributions to administration costs.
	
		Annual Administration Costs of Each Cross Border Body -- 
		
			 (b) Body 2000 1 2001 2002 2003 2004 2 
		
		
			 Foyle, Carlingford and Irish Lights Commission 836,305 933,784 973,974 1,107,360 1,131,655 
			 Waterways Ireland 3,692,063 5,843,392 6,450,134 9,638,986 10,385,374 
			 The Trade and Business Development Body 537,988 961,286 1,349,746 l,530,941 1,631,431 
			 Special EU Programmes Body 525,105 736,305 1,122,472 1,284,631 (82) 
			 The North/South Language Body(83) l,389,299 1,516,584 1,780,976 2,061,449 2,322,893 
			 The Food Safety Promotion Board l65,000 504,000 749,000 1,236,000 1,357,000 
			 Tourism Ireland Limited n/a 101,456 7,400,230 8,608,667 8,922,000 
		
	
	(80) This covers the period 2 December 1999 to 31 December 2000.
	(81) The figures for 2004 are provisional as the accounts are still in preparation.
	(82) The Special European Programmes Body draft Accounts for 2004 are still in preparation.
	(83) The figures quoted for the North/South Language Body for the years 200104 are based on unaudited accounts.
	
		(c) NSMC Joint Secretariat (North) Budget and Outturn(84) -- 
		
			  Budget Outturn 
		
		
			 200001 805,000 752,886 
			 200102 820,000 782,705 
			 200203 735,000 606,888 
			 200304 642,000 582,125 
			 200405 602,000 (85) 
		
	
	(84) These figures are the Northern Ireland Budget and Outturn only.
	(85) The outturn figure for 200405 is still in preparation.
	
		Cross Border Bodies Budget and Outturn -- 
		
			 (d) Body 2000 1 2001 2002 2003 2004 2 
		
		
			 Foyle Carlingford and Irish Lights Commission  
			 Budget 1,954,000 2,452,000 3,382,000 3,847,000 3,550,000 
			 Outturn 1,359,000 1,604,000 1,807,000 1,921,000 2,350,000 
			   
			 Waterways Ireland  
			 Budget 10,780,000 18,820,000 21,990,000 22,610,000 31,710,000 
			 Outturn 9,504,687 14,031,989 17,438,466 18,569,245 22,895,379 
			   
			 The Trade and Business Development Body  
			 Budget 9,000,000 9,000,000 9,000,000 9,000,000 9,000,000 
			 Outturn 1,842,000 2,768,000 5,199,000 6,145,000 6,629,000 
			   
			 Special EU Programmes Body  
			 Budget 2,000,000 2,308,000 1,750,000 2,020,000 2,195,000 
			 Outturn 839,419 1,809,101 1,811,475 1,830,432 (88) 
			   
			 The North/South Language Body4  
			 Budget 8,180,243 11,717,150 12,282,700 13,294,790 15,062,500 
			 Outturn 7,469,630 10,241,877 12,528,077 13,656,581 15,004,959 
			   
			 The Food Safety Promotion Board  
			 Budget 2,327,000 5,115,000 5,291,000 5,972,000 6,167,000 
			 Outturn 1,742,000 2,662,000 3,969,000 5,600,000 5,950,000 
			   
			 Tourism Ireland Limited  
			 Budget n/a No budget set 7,864,000 8,453,000 9,058,000 
			 Outturn n/a 101,456 7,400,230 8,608,000 8,922,000 
		
	
	(86) This covers the period 2 December 1999 to 31 December 2000.
	(87) The figures for 2004 are provisional as the accounts have yet to be finalised.
	(88) The Special European Programmes Body draft Accounts for 2004 are still in preparation.
	(89) The figures quoted for the North/South Language Body for the years 200104 are based on unaudited accounts.

Housing Executive

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many properties the Northern Ireland Housing Executive owns in each parliamentary constituency in Belfast; how many are vacant in each case; and what different types of heating system are fitted in occupied Northern Ireland Housing Executive properties in each parliamentary constituency in Belfast.

John Spellar: The information is not available by constituency, however at 24 March 2005 the information by housing executive district office is as follows.
	
		
			 Housing executive   Heating source 
			 district office Occupied stock Vacant stock(90) Oil Gas Electric Room heater Other 
		
		
			 Belfast 1 2,200 8 317 1,057 427 393 6 
			 Belfast 2 3,552 56 732 1,708 594 508 10 
			 Belfast 3 3,301 4 714 1,912 160 499 16 
			 Belfast 4 3,349 119 348 1,536 965 453 47 
			 Belfast 5 3,617 109 474 1,940 406 774 23 
			 Belfast 6 3,123 132 202 2,050 185 679 7 
			 Belfast 7 4,076 31 517 2,536 517 459 47 
			 Total 23,218 459 3,304 12,739 3,254 3,765 156 
		
	
	(90) Excludes properties scheduled for redevelopment.

Housing Executive Funding

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which community organisations have received funding from the Housing Executive in each constituency in Northern Ireland in the last five years to meet (a) staff costs, (b) administration costs and (c) capital costs.

John Spellar: The information is shown in the following table. No funding was provided in respect of capital costs.
	
		
			 Constituency(91) Group name Staff costs Administration costs 
		
		
			 West Belfast Greater Shankill yes  
			  Lenadoon yes  
			  Upper Springfield Resource Centre yes  
			  West Belfast Partnership Board  yes 
			  Whiterock/Westrock yes  
			  Tudor Renewal Residents Association yes yes 
			  Twaddell/Woodvale yes  
			 North Belfast Ardoyne yes  
			  Ligoniel Integrated Plan yes  
			  Lower North Belfast Community Council yes  
			  New Lodge Housing Forum yes  
			  North Belfast Partnership Board  yes 
			 South Belfast Markets Development Association yes  
			  Greater Village Regeneration Trust yes yes 
			 East Belfast Mersey Street Area Residents Association yes  
			 Foyle Bogside/Brandywell Community Housing Project yes yes 
			 Strangford Glen Ward Community Association yes  
			 Newry and Armagh Newry and Mourne Community group yes  
			  Newry Travellers yes  
		
	
	(91) The constituency designation is based on the name of the group and/or the known area where it operates and compared with the names of the wards in that constituency.

School Admissions

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland why the Department of Education does not supply additional response booklets to parent groups, schools and politicians as part of the consultation process in Northern Ireland's admissions arrangements for post primary schools; which policy directs civil servants to refuse such requests; and when the policy came into effect.

Barry Gardiner: It is important that those responding do so after carefully considering the content of the consultation document itself. Issuing copies of the Response Booklet in isolation could result in ill-informed comments and would not contribute to a fair and accurate reflection of opinion. The approach the Department is taking is established practice and is consistent with the approach used in other consultations.
	This is an open consultation and anyone who wishes to respond can contact the Department by telephone, fax, e-mail or in writing and the Department will provide them with a copy of the consultation document and the Response Booklet. Over 17,000 copies of the documents have been issued to date. The Response Booklet can also be downloaded from the Department's website.

Schools

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the differences between post-primary integrated education and controlled secondary schools, with particular reference to the (a) curriculum, (b) ethos and (c) examination results.

Barry Gardiner: The information is as follows:
	(a) The requirements of the statutory curriculum are the same for all post-primary schools.
	(b) The Department of Education does not have an overarching statement on ethos in relation to controlled secondary schools. The managing body of individual schools may, however, express this as a statement of values.
	The Department requires schools transforming to integrated status to publish a Transformation Development Plan in which it is suggested that schools may wish to address the issue of ethos. In addition, all integrated schools have the option of signing up to a Statement of Principles prepared and published by the Northern Ireland council for Integrated Education.
	(c) The performance in public examinations for all post-primary schools for the period 200104 is as follows:
	
		Performance in public examinations by key indicators and management type,200102 to 200304
		
			 Academic year Key indicator Controlled non-grammar Controlled grammar Total controlled Integrated non-grammar 
		
		
			 200304 Percentage of year 12 pupils achieving 5+ GCSEs (or equivalent) at Grades A*-C 35 96 52 47 
			  Percentage of those entered for A-levels achieving 2+ A Levels (or equivalent) at Grades A-E 82 98 93 83 
			   
			 200203 Percentage of year 12 pupils achieving 5+ GCSEs (or equivalent) at Grades A*-C 33 95 49 48 
			  Percentage of those entered for A-levels achieving 2+ A Levels (or equivalent) at Grades A-E 84 98 94 85 
			   
			 200102 Percentage of year 12 pupils achieving 5+ GCSEs (or equivalent) at Grades A*-C 34 95 50 47 
			  Percentage of those entered for A-levels achieving 2+ A Levels (or equivalent) at Grades A-E 83 99 94 76 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. 'Integrated' schools include Controlled Integrated and Grant Maintained Integrated schools.
	Source:
	Summary of Annual Examination Results.

Special EU Programmes Body

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the Special EU Programmes Body set up under the Belfast Agreement is a public authority for the purposes of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Paul Murphy: The Special EU Programmes Body is not a public authority for the purposes of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given on 23 March 2005, Official Report, column 806W.